Two weeks after the Horticulture Department requested the chief minister to ban traffic inside Cubbon Park, the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) has recommended the same, demanding that the lung space be reserved for walkers and cyclists.
In a letter to Horticulture and Sericulture Secretary Rajender Kumar Kataria, DULT Commissioner V Manjula stated that the directorate had received representations from citizen groups to intercede on their behalf for ensuring a traffic-free Cubbon Park.
“There is some thinking on the part of the government to reopen the Cubbon Park for motorised traffic. Cubbon Park would be an ideal place to be reserved for pedestrians and cyclists in Bengaluru,” the letter reads.
She said the directorate “strongly” recommends a ban not only on motorised traffic but also parking.
“Cubbon Park is a vast green space in the heart of the city and its pristine nature needs to be preserved. In various cities across the world, spaces in the city core are being reclaimed for the use of pedestrians and cyclists,” she stated. Pedestrians and cyclists can use the park as a shortcut. Closing the Cubbon Park to motorised traffic will not cause any inconvenience as there are alternative routes, she added. Over the last month, civic activists and environmentalists have been urging the government to preserve the lungs pace by not lifting the traffic ban that was imposed during the lockdown.
On August 25, Horticulture Minister K C Narayana Gowda said the department had decided to ban traffic inside Cubbon Park following a meeting with officials. He had said that Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa would take a call on the issue soon.