How long should parks be open in Bengaluru? MLAs to decide amid security, budget talks

Bengaluru: There was a lack of consensus over how long neighbourhood parks should be kept open in Bengaluru during a meeting of MLAs on Friday.

While the erstwhile Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had issued an order to keep the parks open from 5 in the morning to 10 at night, some legislators raised objections, stating that the parks are becoming hubs for anti-social activities.

The meeting was chaired by Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar to seek inputs from MLAs for the budgets to be prepared by five different corporations for the new financial year.

Initially, Shivakumar defended the existing plan of keeping the parks open through the day, stating that it could help people who are unable to visit in the morning or evening hours. It is learnt that some MLAs were not in favour of keeping them open in the afternoon due to security and safety concerns.

Later, the Deputy CM instructed the corporation commissioners to sit with MLAs of their respective jurisdictions to finalise park timings.

Illegal flex

The meeting also saw discussions around the mushrooming illegal flexes and hoardings, including those erected by political leaders. The Deputy CM instructed officials and the police to impose a fine of Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh for each illegal flex.

Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao participate in a meeting convened to suggest inputs for the corporation budget.

“The number of flexes, including birthday and greeting banners, has increased. The government has designated certain places for advertising. No hoarding is allowed without permission,” he said.

MLAs Byrathi Suresh, Zameer Ahmed Khan, Krishna Byregowda, Dinesh Gundu Rao, R Ashoka, Suresh Kumar, Rizwan Arshad, ST Somashekar, SR Vishwanath, S Muniraju, B Shivanna, Manjula Limbavali, Ravi Subramanya, Uday Garudachar, Munirathna N, A C Srinivas, Satish Reddy, Byrathi Basavaraj, C K Ramamurthy and K Gopalaiah were present. MP P C Mohan also attended the meeting.

After the meeting, Rajajinagar MLA Suresh Kumar said he sought more funds for the Bengaluru West City Corporation, given that it is financially weak. He also requested the corporations to set aside an emergency fund in each ward to address issues that arise suddenly.

“There is also a need to organise redressal camps to resolve the large number of property tax complaints,” he said.