Call it public pressure or a fear of backlash from voters ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the Karnataka Government reversed its stance and yielded to demands to scrap plans to build a ten-storey building in Bengaluru’s Cubbon Park.
One of the city’s last few green spaces was under the threat of a series of constructions inside to house the office of the Election Commission and different other government departments. Protests by environmentalists and the public, including the Cubbon Park Walkers Association, who vehemently opposed the project and filed a series of PILs before the Karnataka High Court, seems to have had an effect.
Government sources said the public works department (PWD) has been tasked with finding another suitable site for these departments, closer to Vidhan Soudha but where there will be no need to fell trees.
Retired IFS officer and former environment secretary AN Yellappa Reddy told News18 that such decisions – of building multi-storeys in green spaces like Cubbon Park or the proposal for the construction of a six-lane elevated highway in Bannerghatta National Park (BNP) – is “mindless development” that prioritises politicians’ gains over citizens’ livability.
“These issues should be part of election manifestos as it concerns you, me and our children. It should be on the top of the list. Why are you being unkind to our greenery? What took 200 crore years to develop, you want to destroy it in 20 days?” he asked, stressing on the importance of preserving greenery and its impact on air quality, biodiversity and human health.
Reddy said terrestrial ozone is the biggest killer of humans and the environment. It kills fertile parts of plants, which stops seed germination. Fragrant oils released by trees like the plumerias, or frangipani, keep viruses away, said the expert who has planted several of the plant’s varieties around Bengaluru during his tenure.
“All of us should understand that Cubbon Park is the only oxygen bank available for the 5 to 10 lakh people who commute in that area of Bengaluru each day, and you are trying to choke it? It is nothing but absurdity. I would like to take it one step forward and say those making such decisions should be booked under culpable homicide as they are trying to kill people by denying their lungs oxygen,” the expert told News18.
Reddy further said when dust and pollutants deposit on the foliage, it retards photosynthesis and there is no release of oxygen or absorption of carbon dioxide, making the surroundings a dome of poisonous gases.
“I have created a beautiful butterfly garden, secret garden within Lalbagh – another of Bengaluru’s beautiful green spaces – and all this will just die in days if this erratic development and pollution continues,” he added.
In 2019, the registrar of the high court filed a petition seeking approval to construct an administrative block within Cubbon Park, near the court’s premises. This move also faced stiff opposition from environmentalists and the walker’s association, citing potential ecological damage.
The HC then sought a comprehensive proposal from the PWD department to determine a suitable location for the annexe building. While the initial plan outlined a seven-storey structure behind the court, entailing the removal of 17 trees, road diversions and other modifications, the court dismissed this proposal. Subsequently, it later allowed the construction of the building with the revised plan by the PWD that eliminated tree removal and road diversions.
Cubbon Park, which is a 300-acre space, has already been reduced to 180 acres after several commercial buildings and clubs came up around the area over time, Dr Umesh Kumar, president of the Cubbon Park Walkers’ Association, told News18.
“We are awaiting the orders to understand what the government decision has been, when they say they have reversed the decision. Any other place inside Cubbon Park is unacceptable to us. Why eye the only green space we have? Why can’t they build outside Cubbon Park? he asked.
Another decision to reverse the ban on vehicular traffic inside Cubbon Park in Bengaluru on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month is also facing protest by environmentalists and walkers.
In a three-month experimental basis, chief secretary Rajneesh Goel has approved the proposal to revoke the ban after traffic police said allowing vehicles through the park will help alleviate congestion in the central business district, especially during the weekends. But, residents and environmentalists are up in arms saying it will cause further damage to the ecosystem of the city’s longest surviving green space.
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