Banneraghatta park cleaning up its act, wants more visitors

Banneraghatta park cleaning up its act, wants more visitors
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: The Banneraghatta Biological Park (BBP) will reform its facilities for the tourists in upcoming months.

A wildlife destination, situated 22 km away from Bangalore, the BBP is a part of Banneraghatta National Park, constituted for the purpose of protecting, propagating or developing wildlife therein.

Endowed with rich natural wealth, the park is the natural habitat of varieties of flora and fauna.

“On an average more than 5,000 tourists visit the park everyday and the inorganic waste management was a tough issue. There has been a rapid increase in use of ‘Use and Throw’ plastic articles such as plastic carry bags, plates, cups, spoons, forks, straws by the visitors, which are harmful to wildlife and its environment.

“The wild animals consumes thin plastics along with foodstuffs and choke to their death,” B Jayaram, Assistant Conservator of Forest, BBP told this website's newspaper.

“The maximum efforts are being made to ban the plastics in the park. The boards are being erected on the safari rounds and dust-bins are provided,” he said.

“To avoid dumping of plastics we have taken certain steps. The careless disposal of the plastic articles clogs drains, blocks porosity of the soil and disturbs soil microbial activity thereby causing soil pollution. It also prevents natural percolation of rainwater and also obstructs ground water recharge.

“Extension and upgradation of zoo is another project coming up at BBP. The zoo falls under the Central Zoo Authority of India and the upgradation has to be done according to their norms and conditions.

“The tenders will be called soon and the work will begin in next few months,” he said, adding that the upgradation is a constant process from the time the park was made.

The Banneraghatta Park was known as Picnic Corner, after it was established in the year 1974 by the Karnataka Forest Department. As the part of the upgradation works, the roads inside the safari rounds will be improved.

“Though the present mud-roads provide on the natural feeling of enjoying safari in the wilderness, in order to maintain the safari vehicles, the condition of the roads need to be improved,” Jayaram said.

The Tourism Department has provided 20 safari vehicles, known as Wild Beast Guards. During holiday season these safari vans make a minimum of 55 trips in a single day.