Bengaluru parks need all day access, citizens write to Jayanagar MLA

Bengaluru: HeatWatch Foundation, backed by over 70 residents, has written to Jayanagar MLA CK Ramamurthy seeking restoration of extended park timings.

In 2024, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) directed that parks remain open from 5 am to 10 pm. In December 2025, the Bengaluru South City Corporation revised timings to 5 am to 11 am and 4 pm to 8 pm.

The foundation, in its representation, noted that when parks remain closed during peak afternoon hours, people continue to seek shade and rest around these spaces, often under inadequate cover.

"This includes gig workers such as delivery partners and drivers, street vendors, domestic workers, sanitation workers, construction workers, security guards, and other informal workers who spend long hours outdoors. It also includes college students, elderly persons, children, and residents who rely on nearby public spaces for rest and relief from heat. Closure, therefore, does not eliminate the need for such spaces, but instead shifts use to areas outside park boundaries without adequate facilities or protection from heat,” the letter said.

The letter added that closing parks during peak afternoon hours could have serious implications.

"Rising temperatures linked to climate change and the urban heat island effect reinforce the need to ensure access to shaded public spaces during the hottest parts of the day. In a city facing rising heat, keeping parks open during the day provides vital shaded spaces where people can rest and recover from heat exposure,” the letter said.

Volunteers observed that the revised timings are being followed across South Bengaluru.