Forget V-Day red roses, it's red flag for love at Lal Bagh, Cubbon Park

If you were planning to spend February 14 with your Valentine in the city's famous parks, then think again.

The horticulture department has sought help from the police to prevent what it calls "nuisance" on V-Day by keeping a "strict vigil'' on lovebirds in Lal Bagh and Cubbon Park. It also wants to keep an eye on vigilantes attacking couples on that day.

The horticulture department believes it can prevent love from blooming in its parks by closing all but one gate at Lal Bagh and by deploying more police personnel at Cubbon Park, which is open to traffic on all weekdays.

According to Y S Patil, Commissioner (Horticulture) they will write to city police commissioner T Suneel Kumar and deputy commissioners of police of the two divisions where parks are located requesting them to deploy additional police security on Valentine's Day.

"This will restrict the entry of people. The presence of police will help manage people and prevent any nuisance by those entering the park,'' Patil told DH.

Defending the decision to seek police help, Patil said the horticulture department does not have adequate staff to keep a vigil on those entering their parks.

This is the first time police help is being sought to prevent visitors from creating a "nuisance" in these two parks.

An official on condition of anonymity said that there have been several instances where department officials have reprimanded people visiting parks and asking them to "behave properly". "Cubbon Park has already earned a bad image and is termed a space for courtship. We want to change this image."

According to him, there 66 private security guards each in Cubbon Park and Lal Bagh which is inadequate to monitor the huge crowds that throng the parks.

Besides staff shortage, there aren't enough CCTV cameras too in these parks. There are just 10 CCTV cameras in Cubbon Park which is spread over 250 acres.

Though Lal Bagh, which is spread across 240 acres, has 100 cameras, most of them are inside and outside the horticulture office premises.