Residents of Bengaluru's Jayanagar held a protest on Sunday, September 25, against Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya at the Shalini playground in the city. The protesters, including locals, sports enthusiasts and children, alleged that Tejasvi Surya repeatedly allowed week-long commercial exhibitions while denying them access to Shalini playground in Jayanagar.
According to the protesters, Shalini playground is being used for non-sporting activities, which has caused damage to the cricket pitch and the quality of the ground has deteriorated. Despite repeated pleas to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), no necessary actions have been taken, they said.
In celebration of Dasara festival, Shalini playground will host a week-long handcraft exhibition from September 30 to October 5. Although the event’s advertisement omits the names of the organisers, it does claim that one lakh people are anticipated to attend the event.
Speaking to TNM, Nanda Kumar, a Jayanagar resident, and Kabaddi player said, “This isn’t the first time that the playground has been used for commercial and cultural purposes. Several exhibits and cultural events are planned in the playground which has compelled many athletes to switch to other playgrounds over time."
Explaining that the cricket pitch at the playground has been damaged due to various cultural events, Nanda added, “The cricket ground has actually been damaged due to the numerous exhibitions and cultural events that are held by erecting pandals.” He further alleged that some of the events were authorised by Tejasvi Surya. “We have written to the MP skiing him to forbid the sellers from holding exhibitions,” he said.
Responding to the allegations, Tejasvi Surya told the Bangalore Mirror that an MP doesn’t have the authorisation to grant permissions for the usage of playgrounds and that the Congress party has previously utilised the area for political gatherings. He further said that only BBMP has the authorisation to permit the use of playgrounds in the city.
TNM tried reaching out to BBMP for details but was unable to connect.