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A tale of three parks  Citizen Matters, Bengaluru

Parks seem like uncontroversial public spaces, but dig a little deeper, and you will find that even these apparently benign spaces are deeply political. They are often the settings for decisions and manoeuvrings that become evident only when you probe into their provenance, functioning and upkeep.

These three examples serve to demonstrate how public spaces have been taken over by political forces. Unfortunately, most of us citizens prefer to demur to the situation, forgetting that it is our money that is used to create and run these amenities. We forget to question, or to wonder, if there were a different way to use precious public space. Here is an attempt to do that:

Park 1

This park sits bang in between three very busy roads. It is triangular, fairly small, and access to the park is not easy. In the past, it was used by the casual visitor who might have had a few moments to spare before boarding his bus, or by a vegetable vendor who wanted a few moments of rest before resuming her work, or perhaps by those who had just nipped across from the busy shopping street to rest their legs.

It transformed almost overnight into a park with prim and proper planting, benches, a pathway, even an amphitheatre – all thanks to its rebirth as a park to commemorate an important political event. The park had a grand inauguration, speeches were made, and it was opened to the public. Except that it was never open. Every time one passed by, there was a big lock on the gate. Months, even years have passed by. The park is barely used, despite the lovely ambience, despite even free Wifi being offered within its walls! In a city starved for lung space, how is this even possible?

A park in Malleswaram. Pic: Suchitra Deep

One reason is that it sits across from Sankey tank, and anyone who wants a good stroll will just nip across the road and enjoy a better ambience. The other reason is that, for all purposes, it is just a traffic island sitting in the middle of three busy roads. You can expect to be constantly assaulted by sounds of honking and exhaust fumes. Why would anyone in their right minds even sign up for that? We already experience it every day on our streets.

Better solution: It could have been converted into an urban (Miyawaki type) forest or grove with traditional trees and herbaceous plants. A dense clump of trees and shrubs in this spot would have helped absorb the exhaust generated by traffic. It could have served as a roosting spot for birds – a just compensation for the shrinking tree cover in the vicinity.

Thriving mini forests near Manyata tech park. Pic: Manyata Residency VrikshaMitra Group

Read more: Saaku — Enough Is enough–residents stage protest walk to reclaim Malleswaram

Park 2

You will find this park next to the only traffic circle that still exists in Malleswaram. It used to be a small, nondescript park until a few years ago. But consider this – it is the only park in a ward that has a population of approximately 35,000 people. The World Health Organization (WHO) suggests a minimum of about 100 sq ft of urban green space per person. This little park measures about 5,000 sq ft. Do the math!

A few years ago, it was ‘neatened’ and a small open-air gym was set up inside the park, and quite a few residents started using it regularly. This park is also a popular hangout for a local college two streets away, and so it became a well-used space. Barring a little wear and tear, and the dislocation of some tiles on the walking path, there was nothing wrong or wanting in the park. But the BBMP (with political blessings) decreed otherwise.

Last year, the boundary wall was ripped out, the large chapadi coping stones broken down (Ah! Where can one find those anymore….), all the benches removed, and the paving dug up. In its place, a wall was made with the stones that had been cut to size. On top of that, an oversized metal grill barricade was erected. The grill was also erected along the entire stretch of the existing compound walls of two houses adjacent to the park – an entirely unwarranted expense. In this process, two trees were strangulated between the grill and the wall. We were told that the grill has the same design as the one used near the Vidhana Soudha. The state legislature resembles an open jail and is most certainly not a model for a small residential park.

Residents had requested face to face seating, where they could TALK to each other – request denied. Residents had requested that the central area be grassed over where little children could play – request denied. Residents had requested for a garbage bin so that the trash thrown by the college kids could be collected at one place – request denied.

Better solution: The park could have been left as is, with minimal improvements made to the flooring. Composting bins could have been installed to convert the huge leaf litter generated by the trees in the park into compost, to be used again in the park. Without grills to obscure the view of the park, all those living nearby could have kept an eye on it. It could have become a friendly adda that every neighbourhood so desperately needs in these times.

Park 3

This park is situated very close to a busy shopping street. With its dense foliage, and play structures, it is a haven for those who work there or shop there. Except for a small problem. It has been closed for more than a decade due to a court case regarding the intended conversion of the park into a – wait for this – a parking lot. And not just any regular parking lot, but a multi-level car park, or an MLCP. Residents and shop owners in the vicinity of this park are clear that this plan is neither well-thought out nor practical, but the BBMP feels it is worth fighting for. Who suffers? The common man. In a city gasping for lung space, citizens have been denied access to this crucial green space. Instead, the park is now a hangout for unsocial elements, who have taken advantage of its neglect by making it their own.

Better solution: The park could have, instead, become a hangout for shoppers and residents, with small tables and benches set up so they could have lunch or tiffin between shopping. Perhaps a small stage could have been constructed where local cultural programs could be showcased in the evenings or during festivals. An area could have been earmarked for local craftsmen to sell their wares on a rotating basis. In a nutshell, this could have become a lively and refreshing space for the community, vendors and for visitors, instead of lying neglected and misused for decades.

Read more: Concretising open parks — this is not the development people want or need

Public space is for the public

All around the city we see similar strange anomalies. There are parks filled with play equipment, lying unused, because there is a diktat from above to keep them closed and inaccessible to residents. There are parks that have money thrown at them with abandon, inaugurated with pomp and ceremony, filled with statues, and lying unused, because they were created for political reasons, and not for serving the public. There are neglected parks, crying to be rejuvenated, but lying outside the radar of the administration because they belong to the ‘wrong’ neighbourhoods. There are parks that are being quietly turned into built up spaces. Countless others are being swallowed up in the name of development. Some beloved parks have been bequeathed with such a long laundry list of Don’ts that citizens have stopped visiting them.

The three instances offer just a glimpse into what ails a typical neighbourhood in our city. At the root of all these problems lie a few simple questions. For whom are these green spaces created? With what purpose were they created? What are the basic essentials for a park? Who are the custodians? Who decides what they should become?

Green spaces like parks, wetlands, tree cover, groves etc are crucial for a city. Our ambivalent relationship with them, our docile acceptance of what is doled out to us, our failure to recognise the devious nexus of political ambitions and administrative kowtowing, and our failure to speak up for our needs, has led to this situation.

Bengaluru used to be called a Garden city at one point of time. Is it not high time we reclaimed the title before it gets completely erased from public memory?

Also read:

• Mumbai has less green than what masterplan shows: just 1 sq m per person
• Bengaluru: Preference for parks drastically shrinks space available for playgrounds
• Runners in city demand open spaces, parks and sports facilities
• Shimla: Playgrounds and parks vanish in the name of development

A tale of three parks was published on Citizen Matters, Bengaluru

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Advisory group to build ‘global’ city

The government will launch a Vision Bengaluru Advisory Group with important personalities from technology, to offer new thinking to steer towards a ‘Global Bengaluru’, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said on June 5th. It will comprise “many stakeholders” who have invested here, generated jobs and development. He said the projects by civic agencies will be mapped at the ward level to bring in accountability and transparency.

The advisory group will include civil society representatives, industry captains, and urban planners. DKS wants to steer ‘Brand Bengaluru’ towards ‘Better Bengaluru’ and ‘Global Bengaluru. He said that he discussed water supply, solid waste management, traffic, and stormwater drain encroachments extensively. He added that there is a need for accountability among officers. He has instructed them to maintain a separate file for works carried out in each ward, with details such as the length of roads, expenditure on asphalting or concretising these roads, and the agency responsible for the work. It should be readily accessible.

DKS said that the group will include personalities, such as Infosys co-founders N R Narayan Murthy and Nandan Nilekani, Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, and Wipro founder chairman Azim Premji.

Meanwhile, D K Shivakumar also visited flood-prone areas to examine the ongoing drainage work and the widening of storm water drain (SWDs) at Yemlur. He told officials to construct a temporary drain. He warned developers who have got a court stay against clearing encroachments over SWDs.

Source: Indian Express, Deccan Herald, The Hindu

Read more: How monsoon ready are the lakes of Bengaluru?

1,213 discrepancies in BBMP works

Recently, an audit of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) for 2019-20, by the Karnataka State Audit and Accounts Department, found 1,213 discrepancies, right from fake bills to excess payments. It will be tabled before the PAC (Public Accounts Committee).

In four chapters, it examines BBMP’s financial health, payments made to contractors and shortcomings in revenue generation, in property tax collection, and in the Town Planning Department. There has been a payment of Rs 1,169 crore, which has been disputed on various counts. The BBMP has to recover Rs 173 crore from contractors, due to excessive payments.

Also, the Town Planning Department has collected Rs 26.50 crore less than what property owners owe. The BBMP has failed to follow basic financial management principles and neglected the effective implementation of audit reports. The 61 divisions or departments of the BBMP did not share certain documents when the auditors questioned payments amounting to Rs 259 crore on dubious grounds.

Two common discrepancies are: overestimating the cost of work and issuing work orders at a time when there is only one bidder. Government regulations say that the BBMP should issue a new tender, when there is no competition. Recurring issues include reporting an excessive number of vehicles for garbage collection, lapses in CCTV camera installations and excessive payment, as in the Dasarahalli division’s project cell.

The tender showed that the manual excavation of soft soil was priced at Rs 269 per square metre, although pictures showed that the contractor used machines for excavation, costing only Rs 72 per square metre. It made the BBMP overpay by Rs 22.94 crore. The report was tabled in the legislature and will undergo one more round of scrutiny by the Public Accounts Committee.

Source: Deccan Herald

BBMP may increase zones to 12

While there are proposals to break BBMP into five smaller corporations, the civic body is also planning to increase the number of zones from eight to twelve. The draft is being drawn up on the basis of BBMP Act 2020, which permits a maximum of 15 zones and up to 250 wards.

Last year, the government increased the number of BBMP wards from 198 to 243, but it neither increased the number of zones nor did it change the boundaries. Senior BBMP officials say the zones are being increased to ensure uniform distribution of wards and also make the administration come closer to citizens.

Source: Deccan Herald

Gruha Lakshmi scheme

The eligible female head of families for the Gruha Lakshmi scheme, under which beneficiaries are paid Rs 2,000 a month has confused a number of people. The guidelines were released by the government on June 6th, explaining that women enrolled as Yajamani or head of the family, under Antyodaya, BPL (Below Poverty Line) and APL (Above Poverty Line) ration cards, are eligible for the scheme. There will be no fresh scope to decide any new woman as the head. 

One of the conditions for eligibility states that the woman or her husband should not be paying income tax or filing GST. The beneficiary’s name should be mentioned as head of the family in BPL or APL or Antyodaya cards. People without these cards cannot avail of the scheme.

Eligible beneficiaries can submit their applications between June 15th and July 15th, through the Seva Sindhu portal or at authorised agencies. After that, the beneficiaries will be selected and will get money directly to their bank accounts directly on August 15th.

Meanwhile, the opposition launched a scathing attack on the riders, calling the Congress poll promises an eyewash. But the CMO said that revised guidelines may be issued.

Source: The Hindu

Read more: The cost of high LPG prices: Environmental and health hazards in slums

4 new Metro lines by Nov

There are limited plans to conduct trial runs on the 2-km Baiyappanahalli-K R Puram Metro stretch from the first week of July. The city is prepared to get four more metro lines by November, according to the Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, after a maiden review of the Namma Metro project. He is also the Bengaluru development minister and visited the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) to discuss metro work, ramping up non-fare revenue and opening new lines.

Representative image. Outside a metro station in Bengaluru. Pic: Pragathi Ravi

The lines that will open by July include the 2.1-km Baiyappanahalli-KR Pura line, a missing link in the Chellaghatta-Whitefield Purple Line. The 1.9-km Kengeri-Chellaghatta line will be ready by September. The 3-km Nagasandra-Madavara line, under construction since 2017, will be ready by October. The 19.14-km RV Road-Bommasandra, which links Electronics City, will open by November.

There are also works that will be completed by 2026. The Metro line connection to the KIAL (Kempegowda International Airport Ltd) at Devanahalli will be done by June 2026, as part of the Blue Line, with 17 stations. Airport line will be done by June 2026, plus or minus three months, said DKS. The Silk Board to K R Puram line (Phase 2A) will also be completed by June 2026.

There have also been proposals to the Centre for clearance to take up works of other Metro phases, such as the Phase 3A line from Hebbal to Sarjapur Road. The BMRCL is also trying to increase its revenue, which includes posting ads inside and outside Metro coaches.

Source: Deccan Herald, Indian Express

City will lead EV jobs boom: Report

Bengaluru hopes to become a hub for both manufacturing and innovation in the electric vehicle market, even as it goes through a technology intensive transformation, according to a report by talent solutions provider Careernet. EV jobs saw a compound annual growth rate in India of 110% between 2020 and 2022, of which 28% were in Bengaluru.

Due to the innovation in the city, manufacturing activity around the region is expected. The top jobs in demand in FY22 (20%) were for designing battery management systems that are an integral part of EVs. There was also high demand for support roles, many of which would shift from the traditional vehicle market. The main domain skills in demand will be mainly for engineering and R&D (55%), where the most amount of upskilling would also be required. While the acquisition of such skills would be self-driven by individuals, enabling people in support roles to transition into the EV industry will be undertaken by manufacturers and service providers.

Source: Deccan Herald

[Compiled by Revathi Siva Kumar]

Also read:

• Do rules protect Bengaluru’s parks or restrict citizens’ freedom? 
• Monsoon preparedness of lakes: Lack of planning in development of Gowdanapalya lake and Subbaraaya kere

Bengaluru Buzz: Advisory for ‘global’ city | 1,213 flaws in BBMP’s work … and more was published on Citizen Matters, Bengaluru