Residents up in arms against BMP’s parking plan

Residents up in arms against BMP’s parking plan
The Times of India

Bangalore: The age-old proposal for a rose garden on Ulsoor Lake will never materialise. The proposed fouracre plot, which is covered with debris after BMP cleaned the lake, will be used as a parking lot.
This move is aimed at decongesting Commercial Street and St John’s Road. “We will have a BMTC green bus ferrying shoppers from this parking lot to Commercial Street,” BMP officials explained.
An angry swarm of protestors on Wednesday morning objected to the parking lot proposal. Members of the Ulsoor Lake Citizen’s Forum voiced their opinion to BMP joint commissioner, Harsh Gupta, and deputy commissioner, Vasanth Rao. Residents claimed the rose garden was envisioned by former administrator, Lakshman Rau. According to BMP’s original plan, a rose garden should have been laid.
The officials explained that this was only a temporary proposal. “This parking lot will be moved after six months to another plot after the storm water drains there are covered.”
The officials spent over an hour hearing grievances and defending BMP’s proposal saying that no rose garden existed near the lake anyway and the plot was used only as a dumping ground for building debris. The BMP would cover the storm water drain beside the lake at a cost of about Rs 8 crore and parking would be facilitated there and revenue from the parking lot would be used to set up a rose garden.
Residents and morning walkers, however, are not convinced. They sought to know why should this lung space is being converted into a parking lot even for six months? “How can we trust BMP and why is it forcing it on the lake. Why cannot BMP have basement parking at Commercial Street?” citizens questioned.
Manu Chatlani of Commercial Street’s Shopowners Association was also present to hear the citizens. While Lt General (retd) N S Narahari was composed, other residents Prithvi Pani, Prem J and Madan Gopal among others were not willing to compromise with the BMP.
Former JD(S) MLA N Rajanna, who joined the residents in the meet, sought to know why BMP wanted to set up a parking lot at the cost of harming a natural water body.