New Government Electrical Factory land to bloom into 65-acre tree park in Bengaluru, phase I opens in March

Bengaluru: The defunct New Government Electrical Factory (NGEF) campus at Baiyappanahalli here is all set for a green makeover.

Of the 105-acre factory land, 65 acres will be transformed into a sprawling tree park, with the first phase scheduled to open for the public in March, Large and Medium Industries Minister M B Patil announced on Saturday.

The minister, who inspected the ongoing works at the site along with senior officials, said the project was being developed in four stages (phase 1, 1A, 1B, and 2) at a total cost of Rs 37.75 crore. “The first phase is nearing completion and will be inaugurated in March. Work on Phase 1A will be finished in the next six months,” he said.

Patil said the campus already housed 8,500 trees of various species. “We have already tagged these trees with their scientific names. Not a single tree will be felled for this project. However, we are scientifically evaluating the eucalyptus trees on the premises to decide on the next course of action,” he added. The government has already released Rs 11.5 crore for initial works.

The redevelopment will repurpose the existing industrial infrastructure rather than demolishing it. Structural audits by the Indian Institute of Science (IISC) have confirmed that the administrative buildings and industrial sheds remain robust. Patil detailed plans to convert two electric motor sheds into convention centres with a combined seating capacity of 15,000. These venues will host seminars, conferences and annual events.

Additionally, an incubation centre for startups named ‘Innoverse’ will be established by the Karnataka Innovation and Technology Society (KITS) here.

The IT-BT department is slated to develop a ‘digital museum’ to trace Karnataka’s evolution as a global tech hub, at an investment of Rs 100 crore.

The park is designed to rival the city’s iconic lung spaces like Cubbon Park and Lalbagh. 

The minister said a small portion of land required for the entrance was currently with BMRCL.

“We are in talks with BMRCL officials to secure the land for the entry plaza. Our goal is to make this a world-class destination for people of east Bengaluru,” he said.