Palike commissioner moots low-cost tree parks in City

Landscape gardens are a costly affair, says Siddaiah

With water scarcity taking its toll on the landscape gardens, the Commissioner of Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike has come up with the idea of low-cost tree parks across the City.

The suggestion, although not new, drew support from several corporators during the special meeting of the Palike Council on Saturday. Denying allegation that all parks in Bangalore were in poor shape, Siddaiah claimed that the BBMP had fulfilled the demand for landscape gardens with facilities like gazebo, plaza, pergola and fountains.

“I think these landscape gardens are a costly affair. It works only when there are enough rains. Watering parks is bound to be a problem when there is acute shortage of water for the residents,” Siddaiah said. He then suggested tree parks, which require less maintenence as a solution. The commissioner found a supporter in Mayor Venkatesh Murthy, who said trees help in bringing rains.

The matter of parks came up for discussion when a BJP corporator alleged that the rainwater harvesting units in the parks of her ward were a victim of official apathy. She also pointed to the pathetic state of parks in the absence of proper maintenance.

Backing her, former Deputy Mayor S Harish alleged that many parks in Bangalore do not have proper security arrangements as the watchmen and gardeners had left the service on account of meagre salary. “Do corporators need to guard the parks? For all the wrongs with the BBMP properties, the corporators are blamed,” he said.

During the discussion, corporators raised the issue of severe water crisis in the City due to the ‘apathy’ of the BWSSB officials, who never receive calls nor turn up in the Council meeting.

Corporators Shanthakumari, Srinivas and Gangabyraiah alleged that the BWSSB was shying away from its primary duty of supplying water to the people of Bangalore.

Commissioner Siddaiah told the Council that the Palike has been spending Rs 50 crore to Rs 100 crore to address the water crisis in the City, besides the money spent by the BWSSB. He, however, admitted that the borewells were not maintained properly which necessitated digging of new ones.

“If a borewell fails, it is necessary to make arrangements to repair it. Every year, crores of rupees are spent on digging new borewells and not for the maintenance of the old ones,” Siddaiah said.

‘Name airport after Kempegowda’

The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike Council in its meeting on Saturday gave its nod to name the Bengaluru International Airport after founder of the City, Kempegowda. The meeting also approved installation of a statue of Kempegowda at the airport. The Council passed resolutions on as many as 42 subjects including allotting land for burial grounds in eight zones of the Palike.