If you think Bangaloreans throng only malls and pubs on weekends, you are wrong. Doubters can walk into Lalbagh on Sunday mornings.
You’ll see walkers and joggers all over the botanical garden which is spread over 240 acres. Lalbagh, developed in 1760,  has been the favourite haunt for those who wish to get fresh air amidst greenery. This lung space, however, seems grossly inadequate now for the growing population of the City.
Lalbagh is getting crowded  even during early mornings on weekends and a walk without rubbing shoulders with others has become a tough task. On a weekday, about 8,000 people take a walk in the garden, while the figure touches 10,000 on Saturdays and Sundays. They include regular walkers and joggers in the garden. Festival days see close to 14,000 visitors.
Every day, between 6 am and 9 am, nearly 5,000 walkers and joggers make use of Lalbagh. The ever-increasing number of people visiting Lalbagh is an issue of concern. There is not enough space left for joggers, walkers and bird-watchers.  You will see a mini-Bangalore inside the park. Walk paths are over-crowded like many streets in Bangalore. You will see fitness freaks, people doing vriksha-parikrama, meditating on the green grass, practising yogasana, kids playing football, badminton and skating on the well-laid roads and running around trees.
You will also see loads of people on the rock where the Kempegowda tower stands majestically. Here, too, people do yogasana and meditation. There are people who come just to watch the lake. You can also spot photographers capturing the nature.
But the question is whether the morning walkers and joggers have sufficient space and liberty here to be with nature? “The place is too crowded now”, says Devayya, a retired employee of Syndicate Bank. He has been visiting the garden over the last 15 years and has noticed a consistent increase in the number of visitors.
Programmes such as Mango Mela and flower shows bring more crowds and lead to littering of the park, points out Prabhu, a police official who has been frequenting Lalbagh for over 15 years. Saurabh, an amateur photographer, had always come in the afternoon to the garden and found it over-crowded. “Today, I came in the morning to find some peace but in vain”, he said around 7 am on a Sunday.
“The place is crowded, but where else can we go for fresh air?” asks Ramesh, owner of a provision store in Jayanagar 9th Block. He comes to Lalbagh every morning. “People from Banashankari and Koramangala also come here for clean air because there is no place like this”, points out K Krishnappa, a businessman and resident of Kumaraswamy Layout.
Bird-watching is an integral part of some visitors. Some years ago, birth-watchers used to spot hundreds of resident and migrant birds of various species. Now, the task is becoming tougher, says U Harish Kumar, a member of Bird Watchers’ Field Club.
Replacing native plants with new ones, bushes and rickets with horticulture plants is also compelling the birds to leave the garden and nest in other places, Kumar says.
So how to decongest Lalbagh in the morning hours? Dr G K Vasanth Kumar, who was till recently the Director in Horticulture Department, says entry cannot be restricted to decongest the park. “Joggers and walkers are a part of Lalbagh. They have been visiting the garden for years and we cannot restrict their entry to check the flow of crowd. Every garden in Bangalore is facing similar problems and this is the price we are paying for Bangalore’s development. Unless we have more gardens like Lalbagh, we cannot address the problem”, he says.
The way out
Small forests in the City outskirts can be converted into tree parks or developed on the lines of Lalbagh.
It will be economically viable and reduce the pressure on Lalbagh. Plantation in barren and unused land can also reduce the crowds at Lalbagh.
-S Sridhar, Director, Institute for Natural Resources Conservation, Education, Research and Training (INCERT)
The Masterplan for the City must make some provision for green spaces.
Every extension must have its breathing space. New parks should be developed in all the extensions.
People from Koramangala and nearby areas can be allowed to walk in St John’s Hospital premises.
- K N Subbareddy,
member, Lalbagh Walkers Association
Urban planners must address the issue by providing more green spaces. Urban mini-forests can be developed as an alternative to Lalbagh. Avenues, bylanes and walk-ways can be made. Cycling should be encouraged in the City. Planting native species of trees, rather than exotic and hybrid ones, should also be encouraged.
-Suresh Heblikar, founder, Eco-Watch
The Masterplan must provide green spaces in and around the City.
-Prof R Sukumar, Centre for Ecological Sciences
Parks should be developed in the new extensions (like Magadi Road, Devanahalli etc) of the City. Small forests and tree-parks should be developed. Any space left in the City should be used for walks.
-Prof Vidyanand Nanjundaiah, Centre for Ecological Sciences