Bengaluru's green lungs gasp for basic care amid neglect, urban growth

Bengaluru: Parks in the city are expected to serve as public spaces, but many are poorly maintained and residents have flagged safety concerns.

With temperatures rising, parks that should have been shaded resting spots have failed to serve the purpose. From lack of toilets to garbage dumping, many have become spots of neglect.

DH reporters visited some parks across the city to understand the situation and hear what the public had to say.

At HMT Layout Park in Nagasandra, residents complained about a lack of security.

"Two years ago, we would often hear about people being harassed in or around the park. The condition is better now, but we still do not find it very safe and avoid going there in the evening," said Mouhari Ghosh, a resident of the layout.

Waste disposal is another problem.

At Akkamahadevi Park in Jayanagar, the entire park has just two dustbins, a green one for wet waste and a blue one for dry waste.

Finding a place to dispose of even a bottle is a challenge, especially for visitors on the far side of the park. "I doubt there are dustbins here," said Savitha, a regular visitor.

Even at bigger parks like Cubbon Park, basic facilities such as clean washrooms are unavailable.

Visitors at Cubbon Park complained about the lack of hygiene in public washrooms. "It is a beautiful park, filled with trees, but the public washrooms are not very clean," one of them said.

Senior officials from the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) said parks are usually maintained by an agency on contract.

"The respective corporation officials also keep a close watch on the maintenance. However, there might be some lapses at some parks. Residents can complain to the respective corporations and get them rectified," a senior GBA official said.

Officials from the West and South corporations said these could be isolated instances and urged citizens to report them.

Apart from these concerns, many parks do not follow timings set by the GBA and remain closed during afternoon hours, making them inaccessible to many.