Last month, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) announced that all its 1,200 parks would remain open from 5 am to 10 pm.
Metrolife went around the city, and found that many parks are yet to comply with the new rules. On Thursday, of the eight parks reporters visited, only two were open in the afternoon. A majority of the parks continue to stay open between 6 am and 10 am and 4 pm and
8 pm, citizens said.
Vasanth Nagar
The neighbourhood park on 3rd Cross remains closed between 10 am and 4 pm.
Ranjini K L, postgraduate student, says, “It looks like the park is falling apart. The fencing is broken and you see fallen branches everywhere. Sometimes, the guard doesn’t even open the gates on time.” The wired fencing features a gaping hole, large enough for an adult to sneak in.
With Mount Carmel College located nearby, the area is frequented by students, and needs a good public space, says Prarthana Vidhu, BBA student. “It will be of great help if the park is open throughout the day. It is a peaceful place where students can work out or relax between lectures without having to spend money at a cafe or eatery,” she says.
Okalipuram
Lakshman Rao Park, 3rd Cross, is only open between 6.30 am and 10 am. It does not open in the evenings.
The upkeep of the park is the responsibility of the pourakarmikas, says a citizen who stays opposite the park. “There is no security guard here. The pourakarmikas have the keys to the park. But sometimes they forget to lock the gate and the park remains open throughout the day and even at night,” she says.
Some citizens say keeping the park open throughout the day is not a good idea. “It is not safe to keep the park open in a residential area. It attracts bad sorts who create a nuisance,” says Anwar A M, 64.
R T Nagar
BBMP parks in Rahmath Nagar and P&T Colony remain shut in the afternoons. There was no security guard at the parks when Metrolife visited them on Thursday.
“I would love it if the parks remained open throughout the day as my toddler loves green spaces. But the lack of security is scary. Sometimes the gates are not locked and people end up sleeping there. I once caught a homeless man trying to approach young girls,” says Ayeshaa Baig, homemaker.
Richmond Town
The signboard at Richmond Park, located on Alexandria Street, Richmond Town, says the park stays open from 6 am to 10 am and 4 pm to 8 pm. It has not yet adopted the new timings. A watchman takes care of the park, says Babu, 48, who runs a small store nearby. “If the park stays open late into the night, it becomes a hangout for
students who bunk class,” says
Salmaan, 30.
Lakkasandra
The BBMP park in Lakkasandra is located just off the Hosur Main Road. While the gates were open in the afternoon, people in the neighbourhood were unsure about the timings. A board mentioning the timings is damaged. The park is maintained by security personnel employed by the BBMP, citizens say. “This park is small, but it still attracts a bad crowd, especially at night, so it is closed to visitors after 8.30 pm,” says Prema, 48, who runs a store near the entrance.
BTM Layout
Located in Stage 1, the Nimhans Layout park follows the watch and ward system, with the caretakers living on the premises. The park stays open from 5.30 am to 10.30 am, and again from 4.30 pm to 8.30 pm. “It is not safe enough out here for me to keep the park open till 10 pm. For what purpose would anyone want the park to stay open till then?” one of the caretakers says.
Indiranagar
The park on 12th Main has been following the new guidelines for a month. Kaveri, working as the caretaker of the park for eight months, has mixed feelings about the new timings. She resides on the park premises. “The positive is that I don’t have to keep locking and unlocking the gates throughout the day. But if the park is open throughout the day, it gets dirty more often, and I am not able to sweep or clean properly,” she says. Between 5 am and 10 pm, she surveys the entire park several times to ensure it is crime free.
‘We’re fixing things’
Tushar Giri Nath, chief commissioner, BBMP, told Metrolife a majority of the parks were following the new timings. “Only a few parks where there are no security guards are where we are facing some issues. Earlier, responsibilities of some parks were handed over to resident welfare associations and other organisations, due to which there were different arrangements. But now we are trying to standardise the system and get enough security everywhere,” he says.