Epicentre of green protests

Epicentre of green protests

Human chain had its effect as candidates join drive to save lalbagh from metro project

Vaishalli Chandra. Bangalore

Lalbagh versus Metro, is a modern-day tale. All want development and keep the heritage park intact. Wednesday's protest outside Lalbagh West drew in the political aspirants along with the common man.
Speaking to DNA, candidates expressed concern about the destruction Metro would cause to Lalbagh. With his green manifesto, Santosh Min, Independent candidate from Bangalore South said, "There is need for public involvement in such projects."
He was completely against Metro as he felt that it would not solve any traffic woes in Bangalore South.
However, he said, "The authorities should have a public debate. If they can convince the people that Metro will benefit them, it should go underground."
Vijay Kumar, BJP lawmaker from Jayanagar, said he had spoken with the Metro MD.
"I had suggested that before doing this, they should have discussed with the local people as well as the resident welfare associations.
These are the people who would get affected the most."
Although he was all for the Metro, he felt that it couldn't come at the cost of a "very good park."
He said that the park was an integral part of people's life and that they want that the park is not disturbed.
"I suggested that a change in the alignment of Metro will ensure that no trees are damaged, "It is a question of about Rs2,000 crore only."
His party will take it up. "We are pro-environment and pro-Metro, but not at the cost of damaging the environment," he said.
Krishna Byre Gowda, Congress candidate, said that while he was all for the Metro, "I am not for destroying the cultural or historical heritage like Lalbagh."
He felt that it was time that authorities looked at alternatives as there was need to keep moving ahead but not at the cost of the heritage.
Captain GR Gopinath said he wanted the Metro. "In fact it, should have been here 20 years ago," he said.
However, he cited examples of London Hyde Park, where the Metro ran underground, and, closer home, Delhi. He said, "Nehru park and Buddha park were not touched."
While Metro was needed, it was not at the cost of Lalbagh, which he considered the city's lung space. Not just that. "Lalbagh is a landscape of historical importance, it has been there from Hyder Ali's time," he said.
"There are some things that are not touched," he said adding, "Will they destroy Red Fort to bring in the Metro in Delhi or the Taj Mahal in Agra?" His take was simple: development should be taken in the outer city.
Referring to London again, he said the inner city wasn't touched in the name of development. He pointed out how the New York Metro built in the 1970s was underground. So was the London Metro which was built before World War II.
His concern was taking the Metro on top "would destroy the entire character of the town."
Captain Gopinath confessed that he wasn't aware of the issue until volunteers from Hasiru Usiru informed him, "We are involved in our own cocoons."
But once he became aware that trees were felled, he cancelled his political appointment and joined the the protest, "to show our solidarity."
It isn't trees at Lalbagh alone. Captain Gopinath said he was upset that many old trees were felled for road-widening all over the city.