Park turns eyesore before BBMP makes it a 'beauty spot'

 The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) planned to transform the place into a “beauty spot” in 24 months but more than three years later, it has become an eyesore.

A proposed park in the heart of Koramangala, whose foundation stone was laid with much fanfare in January 2014, is now lying in a neglected state with weeds growing as tall as trees.

The 2.7-acre land on Jyoti Nivas College Road has been under dispute for quite sometime. The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) had transferred it to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) for developing a park. But a person has approached the court, contending that the BBMP had issued the property’s khata in his name.

Local residents who earlier strolled in the park are now wary of entering it. They say the place looks more like a mini-forest and has become a den of vice with liquor bottles thrown all over.

Lalitha N is one such resident. She said: “Though the park was not fully developed earlier, at least it had a walking path where people could take a stroll. Now with weeds growing wildly in the park, we fear chain-snatchers and other miscreants could be on the prowl and attack us.”

Govardhan Reddy, another local resident who is also president of the block Congress, said the park must be restored before the ‘beauty spot’ turned into an ‘ugly spot’. He said the park was located on the border of three localities — Koramangala, Jakkasandra and Eijipura, leading to confusion in survey numbers.

“The person who lays claim to the park has his property located elsewhere, but he argues that the BBMP issued the khata for this place in his name. As per the village map, the area has not been handed over to any private person and still belongs to the government. The matter is now before a city civil court, and the BBMP has to produce original documents to reclaim the property,” he added.

What does MLA say?
Local MLA and Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said the government was determined to convert the land into a park and that’s why the foundation stone was laid in a “discreet manner” despite the court case. “The land belongs to the BBMP which will develop it into a park. We have been granted Rs 2 crore under the Nagarothana scheme to develop the park and the contractor has been finalised. We hope the dispute will be settled quickly and the park will be opened to the public by the end of this year,” he said.