Why Cubbon Park Walkers Association will skip Deputy CM D K Shivakumar’s ‘Walk with Bengaluru’ event

Bengaluru: The Cubbon Park Walkers Association (CPWA) has announced a boycott of Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar’s ‘Walk with Bengaluru’ event scheduled for Sunday at Cubbon Park.

The association said it was deeply disappointed as it had been completely sidelined and not consulted during the planning of the official programme.

Confirming the boycott, CPWA President S Umesh said, “We understand that Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar is visiting Cubbon Park as part of his ‘Walk with Bengaluru’ campaign. However, the Cubbon Park Walkers Association, which has been striving to protect the park for over 15 years, has been neither informed about the event nor consulted by the authorities.”

The CPWA said it has played a key role in safeguarding the park and argued that any initiative concerning its future must involve their experience and inputs.

“We would like to underline that converting this into an official event without involving the stakeholders and custodians of Cubbon Park is a futile exercise and will not lead to any sustainable solutions for the park’s protection,” Umesh added.

The association urged the government and authorities to recognise the importance of community participation and to hold consultations with the CPWA on all matters related to the preservation of Bengaluru’s central green space.