Re-greening Bangalore

Plans are on to convert 187 lakes in and around Bangalore into patches of rich blossoms and green foliage and recreational zones for the common man, BBMP Commissioner, Bharat Lal Meena said.

"Currently, many lakes are in an uncared for state. Many of the lands surrounding them have been encroached upon. We are now trying to clear these encroachments and get permission from the authorities under whom these lakes come to hand over to the civic authority to green it", he said.

Many lakes, some belonging to the forest authorities, minor irrigation, zilla panchayat are without fencing and efforts are on to fence them, plant saplings, build pathways and convert them into green patches, where people can come and relax, he said.

A similar initiative is in the offing to convert 700 parks of BBMP and 300 new parks into floral hotspots.The re-greening initiative would be driven by a theme, he said. "We plan to introduce a theme while developing these parks", he said.

The themes could vary like a bamboo theme, a floral theme, medicinal herbs or a children's theme, he said.

The effort is to create a green ambience and restore the green cover of the city. "We want to restore Bangalore's claim of being a garden city", said Meena.

These parks would have carefully planned landscaping in terms of contours, plots of floral plants, pruning of trees to suit a theme and also art corners where the corner could be used by artists to display their works or conduct activities.

Also on BBMP's agenda is transforming walls of the city into street art galleries by painting them with scenes capturing the state'c cultural and heritage legacy, as well as those abundant in nature's bounty.

"We have already rolled out this initiative from August 15", he said. The idea struck him when he often encountered problems relating to defacing of walls by sticking of film posters or lewd grafitti.

Through this initiative, the walls of the city have now begun sporting the ancient temple architectural beauty and its rich flora and fauna. Scenes of cascading waterfalls and dense forests have sprung up in and around the city.

Efforts are on to also incorporate sculptures and other art work at junctions and various other spots adding a touch of beauty to the IT capital by tying up with art organistions.

The beautification programme has also translated into an economic activity by generating jobs for scores of artists, apart from enhancing the city's beauty.