No tree-park, no layout: BDA

No tree-park, no layout: BDA
The Times of India

Carbon sinks. Mini Cubbon Parks. Oxygen banks. That's the stuff great neighbourhoods are made of. Thus believes the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), which is finalising a policy on having layouts with compulsorily dedicated treeparks within. The long and short of it - every BDA-developed layout will have tree parks as a mandatory feature.

Explains BDA Commissioner M K Shankaralinge Gowda whose noveau idea the tree park is, “the treeparks act as carbon sinks where all the carbon around the vicinity will sink. I am advocating mini Cubbon Parks in the city. They are the real oxygen banks for Bangalore. Future layouts and existing layouts will have treeparks. In BDA layouts where there are no tree-parks, the existing neighbourhood parks will be converted to tree-parks”.

A tree-park is not to be confused with either the green belt or the green initiatives being done in tandem by the BCC and the BDA. In the treepark or ‘gundu topu’ (cluster of trees) the floral and green quotient is on a high as the cluster includes about 3,000 trees and over 1,000 species. The focus would be on traditional trees - Gulmohar, pongamia, eucalyptus, bougainvillea clusters et al.

Existing layouts like Anjanapura, HSR Layout, Banashankari 6th stage, and Visweswaraiah Layout, will be refurbished to include tree-parks. Existing parks which have either degenerated into dry fields or a playarea for children, would apparently be spruced up to metamorphose into treeparks. And for upcoming ones like Arkavati and the ambitious Hi-tech City, an ear-marked space in the blueprint is a must, the BDA has ruled. The role of the resident welfare associations, long-time citizens of the locality becomes significant as the BDA hopes to have interfaces with them for suggestions.