Appreciation ceremony at Richards Park

by May 17, 2011 Civic

The Richards Town Residents Association (RTRA) held an Appreciation Ceremony for the Civil Defence at Richards Park recently to launch a campaign of greening Richards Town with five hundred free saplings from the Civil Defence Division 40.

Maj Gen John planting the first sapling.

The 40th and 41st Civil Defence divisions were formally inaugurated under the Directorate of Home Guards, Civil Defence and Fire and Emergency Service in October 2009.

Area 40 includes Fraser Town and D J Halli, The campaign was launched by Jija Madhavan Hari Singh, DGP, Home Guards and Fire Services; Major General T M John (retired), chief warden, Civil Defence, Karnataka; Khalid Anjum and N Ramesh, divisional wardens of the areas. Dignitaries from the Civil Defence such as Maj. Gen. T M John (retd) Chief Warden and P S Sandhu, IPS, Inspector General of Police and Addl Director General, Fire & Emergency Services together with Khalid Anjum, Divisional Warden, Division 40 and Shankar Narayana, Chief Warden, Peenya & Rajagopal Nagar Division were present.

Division 40 was ably represented by Khalid Anjum’s team of dedicated and committed members. RTRA and RTCA (Richards Town Citizens Association) the two Resident Welfare Associations of Richards Town were present with their office bearers and committee members. Residents of the area made up the rest of the audience.

The function started off with fellowship where the guests met the residents. Maj. Gen. John the Guest of Honour expressed his appreciation of the Park being maintained in peak condition and invited the residents to join hands with the Civil Defence and volunteer as Area Suraksha Mitras.

Maj Gen John with Civil Defence and RTRA members.

PS Sandhu spoke on behalf of his superior Jija Madhavan Harisingh IPS Director General of Police, Commandant General, Home Guards, Director, Civil Defence, Director General, Fire & Emergency Services who was unable to grace the function due to personal commitments.

The saplings were distributed to schools, Holy Ghost Church and neighbouring apartment complexes and are doing well to replace trees that have fallen in the storms that Bangalore has faced. The ceremonial planting of the saplings with the turning of sod further emphasises the greening of Richards Town which has been a high priority with the RTRA since its inception. ⊕

Sections:

About Snehalatha Naidu

Snehalatha Naidu is Editor, Richards Town Residents Association newsletter and a corporate trainer.
Read more by Snehalatha Naidu

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Similar Story

How poor planning turned Chennai’s Harrington Road from quiet neighbourhood to chaotic thoroughfare

by and July 3, 2026 Civic
Increased traffic, parked cars, and bottlenecks demand stricter government intervention and enforcement to resolve gridlock on Harrington Road.

There was a time when Harrington Road was exactly what it was meant to be: a quiet, tree-lined residential avenue, one of Chennai’s older and more established neighbourhood corridors. Families chose to live here because it offered something increasingly rare — space, calm, and a sense of community. Today, that same road tells a very different story. Along an approximately 800-metre stretch now stand eight schools, where there used to be three — three hospitals, three auditoriums, eateries and commercial outlets. Individually, each serves an important purpose. Collectively, however, they have created a level of activity that the road and…

Continue reading

Similar Story

Music, play, and community action help residents protect and celebrate Mumbai’s parks

by June 16, 2026 Civic
Citizens are reclaiming their parks with LYPMumbai, an initiative that encourages the better use of open spaces through art and music.

They paved paradise and put up a parking lot/ With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swinging hot spot. These words of the Joni Mitchell classic Big Yellow Taxi filled a corner of Pushpa Narsee Park in Juhu on a bright Sunday morning in March. Though the song was released in 1970, the words resonate in 2026, especially for this park. There have been several attempts to convert Pushpa Narsee Park into a parking lot, only foiled by the vigilance of the locals, says Anca Florescu Abraham, co-founder of Love Your Parks Mumbai (LYPMumbai). This initiative advocates for the…

Continue reading