Parks in Bengaluru become inaccessible for poor and working class yet again
The Hindu
Parks in Bengaluru become inaccessible for poor and working class yet again
The untimely closing hours of parks in Bengaluru has yet again rendered these spaces inaccessible to poor and working class people who visit to rest or have lunch in the afternoon hours.
This development comes after BBMP introduced the Hasiru Mitra scheme under which local citizens were asked to look after the maintenance of parks on a voluntary basis.
In 2022, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) issued an order to keep parks open all through the day. According to BBMP, parks should remain open between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. They can be closed between 10 a.m. and 1.30 p.m.
Yet, in many areas, parks are locked at 9 a.m. or 10 a.m. only to be re-opened at 4.30 p.m.
The BBMP has about 1,251 parks in Bengaluru. Of these, 506 parks are now controlled by local citizens, and Residents Welfare Associations have directed guards to shut the parks from morning to evening. These parks are closed after residents finish their walk in the morning and re-opened in the evening for them to walk again.
Srinivas S., a delivery personnel, said the timings for public access are discriminatory. Many food delivery workers and labourers come to the park to take rest, but are now forced to sit by the roadside under scorching heat.