Residents of the Kadugodi-Whitefield area in Bengaluru have started an online petition, urging the government and the officials of the Department of Horticulture to expedite the mini-Lal Bagh project, which was announced 10 years ago. The project is allegedly in limbo due to the lack of funds for the project, which is an estimated cost of nearly Rs 2 crore.
Mini Lalbagh is an extension of the Lalbagh Botanical park, in east Bengaluru. It will be spread over 152 acres of coconut farmland in Kannamangala near the Whitefield region on Hoskote road. The Horticulture Department was planning to plant shade trees, including flowering plants and an irrigational network to supply water. The officials had also made plans to build an amphitheatre and butterfly garden.
Amit Sharma, a resident and ward committee member of the locality, started an online petition on change.org to urge Minister Aravind Limbavali, who was recently allocated the Forest Department portfolio, to look into the matter, since he is also the in-charge of the area. He said that there is no problem with land acquisition since the land is already under the government’s ambit.
“The project was announced years ago and no progress has been made thus far. If the project is completed, it will be a great help for the residents since the Kadugodi-Whitefield area is almost a concrete jungle. The last update we received from officials was in 2019 and since then we have not heard from them,” Amit Sharma told TNM.
Please sign! Let's demand the Chikka Lalbagh project is implemented in Seegehalli!https://t.co/af1na0A6ql
— Namma Whitefield (@NammaWhitefield) February 21, 2021
Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa’s latest announcement on the new deadlines to complete the three forest-turned-ecoparks and Aravind Limbavali’s appointment as the Forest Minister prompted Amit to take up the initiative.
“I tried contacting officials to enquire the reasons behind the laxity in executing the project, because the lack of funds shows the disinterest of the officials in taking up the project. This also prompted me to start the initiative,” he added.
The resident also said that the general public of the area did not have knowledge about the proposal when it was announced, and that the petition has helped build momentum around the project by creating awareness around the need for the Mini Lalbagh.
Meanwhile, N Jagadish, Joint Director in the Department of Horticulture, who is overseeing the project, told TNM that setting up any botanical park is a time-consuming project. The proposal was sent in 2011 and then approved in early 2013, he added.
“Through the years, the state government has not allocated any extra funds to carry out these projects. We have been investing money within the means that we have towards the project. The department also formed a committee in 2018 to examine what kind of plants can be planted in the region. Simultaneously, we finished setting up botanical parks in Mysuru and Tumkuru,” he said.
Jagadish said they have completed work on a stretch in the proposed area in Bengaluru, including creating a joggers’ park. An entrance plaza, too, will be set up soon.
“The existing coconut plantation in the area was in a dilapidated state. We have restored nearly 70 acres of the plantation, created tanks for water conservation and dug a borewell as well. There was no contractor to take up fencing, which was completed around 2017-18. In 2020, we did not take up any developmental works owing to the pandemic. The members of the committee will meet us next week and we will begin the development work,” he said.