Cubbon Park enters stone age

Cubbon Park enters stone age

It will have stone benches without backrests to discourage people from relaxing

Shilpa CB. Bangalore



Under the tag of development, the horticulture department is all set to make seating in the Cubbon Park a tad uncomfortable.
Acting on the orders of horticulture minister Umesh Katti, the department will get rid of broken and damaged concrete seats with back rest and replace them with stone benches. "We will replace the old benches with granite stone benches that will not have a back rest. This is to discourage people from sleeping in the park," said KG Jayadeva, deputy director, horticulture department, Cubbon Park.
Department officials said that the minister wanted to discourage people from relaxing on comfortable benches, which is contrary to the entire concept of a park that is meant for relaxation.
But wouldn't people then sleep on the new lawns being laid at the park? "Not really, as many fear that snakes and insects may crawl on them. Benches are more inviting," Jayadeva said.
It all happened during a recent visit by the minister to the park when he announced a host of projects like pathways, desilting of the lotus pond, lawns, shady gardens and so on. He had then received several complaints of petty thefts in Cubbon Park and stated that comfortable seats lured visitors to sit in the park for a longer time, which led to such nuisance.
He had then ordered the replacement of the old benches with normal stone benches minus the backrests.
While a senior employee of the department said that people did not really need a backrest to sleep, and that "a simple stone slab is enough to lie down comfortably", Jayadeva justified the use of stone benches stating that they were "long-lasting, when compared to the concrete ones that miscreants had broken and taken away the iron rods inside them".