<p>The Bengaluru South City Corporation’s decision to change park timings has attracted outrage among residents. A letter campaign has now been initiated against the move.</p>.<p>In 2024, the then Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had ordered that all parks should be open between 5 am and 10 pm.</p>.In Bengaluru, when you buy a home, you lose a park.<p>But the South City Corporation recently stated that parks in its jurisdiction would be open only from 5 am to 11 am and 4 pm to 8 pm.</p>.<p>Citizens feel the truncated timings make parks inaccessible.</p>.<p>An X user, @blueringtail, urged citizens to write to Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) Chief Commissioner M Maheshwar Rao and the South City Corporation commissioner to review the decision.</p>.<p>Detailing the various categories of people who would be impacted by the decision, he expressed concerns that other corporations would follow suit if it was not opposed now.</p>.<p>From college students to software employees to househelps and cab drivers, different people visit parks at different times, and they should be open for longer hours, citizens opined.</p>.<p>“The examples above are real examples of real tax-paying citizens who face the brunt of not having open access to their open spaces every day. With the new park timings, the parks in South Bengaluru are open for a mere 6 hours in the morning and 4 hours in the evening. These are timings suited to just one section of society,” a post on X said.</p>.<p>South City Corporation Commissioner K N Ramesh said he was ready to review the decision if there is public demand for it.</p>.<p>“We decided to change the timings only after the public requested it. A number of RWAs, local representatives and citizens approached us requesting a change. Public interest is always our priority. If there is public demand that the parks have to remain open longer, we will consider that as well,” he said.</p>.<p>He noted that most parks had few visitors during the afternoon hours and the decision was taken to curb illegal activities.</p>.<p>“We also need to take up maintenance works. We have also seen the statistics: hardly anyone visits the parks in the afternoon hours,” he added.</p>
<p>The Bengaluru South City Corporation’s decision to change park timings has attracted outrage among residents. A letter campaign has now been initiated against the move.</p>.<p>In 2024, the then Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had ordered that all parks should be open between 5 am and 10 pm.</p>.In Bengaluru, when you buy a home, you lose a park.<p>But the South City Corporation recently stated that parks in its jurisdiction would be open only from 5 am to 11 am and 4 pm to 8 pm.</p>.<p>Citizens feel the truncated timings make parks inaccessible.</p>.<p>An X user, @blueringtail, urged citizens to write to Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) Chief Commissioner M Maheshwar Rao and the South City Corporation commissioner to review the decision.</p>.<p>Detailing the various categories of people who would be impacted by the decision, he expressed concerns that other corporations would follow suit if it was not opposed now.</p>.<p>From college students to software employees to househelps and cab drivers, different people visit parks at different times, and they should be open for longer hours, citizens opined.</p>.<p>“The examples above are real examples of real tax-paying citizens who face the brunt of not having open access to their open spaces every day. With the new park timings, the parks in South Bengaluru are open for a mere 6 hours in the morning and 4 hours in the evening. These are timings suited to just one section of society,” a post on X said.</p>.<p>South City Corporation Commissioner K N Ramesh said he was ready to review the decision if there is public demand for it.</p>.<p>“We decided to change the timings only after the public requested it. A number of RWAs, local representatives and citizens approached us requesting a change. Public interest is always our priority. If there is public demand that the parks have to remain open longer, we will consider that as well,” he said.</p>.<p>He noted that most parks had few visitors during the afternoon hours and the decision was taken to curb illegal activities.</p>.<p>“We also need to take up maintenance works. We have also seen the statistics: hardly anyone visits the parks in the afternoon hours,” he added.</p>
