Cubbon Park. DH file photo
Around 500 walkers, activists and environmentalists staged a silent protest at Cubbon Park on Monday against the government's plan to allow traffic into the lung space on Saturdays and public holidays.
The protest was organised by the Cubbon Park Walkers' Association (CPWA). Participants silently walked around the park from 8 am to 11 am, carrying placards.
Vehicles are currently barred from entering the park on weekends and public holidays. The government is said to be enforcing the restrictions on Sundays.
Dr S Umesh Kumar, president of CPWA, suggested that the government was planning to implement the order in a week or so. The order also entails creating parking space from the Bal Bhavan gate to the Maharaja statue, he added.
"Besides Lalbagh, Cubbon Park is the only other serene green space inside the city. Its size has already been reduced from 300 acres to 196 acres. After the new changes, we will lose this space as well," he told DH.
"The clean air that we breathe in the heart of the city is from Cubbon Park. Our politicians, lawyers and judges breathe the same air. If they pass this order, they will also face the consequences,” Kumar said.
He added that they would soon petition Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.