Cubbon Park-like 153-acre garden to come up in north Bengaluru: Eswhar Khandre

Bengaluru: North Bengaluru will soon get a 153-acre garden as the Forest Department seeks to convert the land recovered from Karnataka Forest Development Corporation (KFDC) into a lung space named after environmentalist 'Salumarada Timmakka'.

Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Eswhar Khandre made the announcement during the conclusion of Wildlife Week at Aranya Bhavan on Monday.

He said that the land near Yelahanka RTO was leased to KFDC, and the department will develop the same into a park on the model of Cubbon Park with the help of funds through corporate social responsibility.

Khandre said that the areas around Yelahanka have developed rapidly. In this backdrop, the Saalumarada Thimmakka Garden will provide a lung space.

Bengaluru's green cover has decreased by 5 sq km in the last 10 years. As per the Forest Survey of India, the city has 89 sq km under green cover, which is about 6.81 per cent of its total area, he added.

The minister stressed the need to restore Bengaluru's tag as 'Garden City' by encouraging more afforestation activities in the coming years.