A park has been earmarked on Harlur Road, right opposite Raindrops apartment, which is stone throwaway distance from Spencer’s mall on Sarjapur Road. The Forward150 Federation has been trying to get it moving.
One day BBMP men came and installed big yellow concrete board saying "Udyana Vana" and a children’s jungle gym. Not inside the park site. Inside a neighbouring site. Then there was confusion, there was talk of a disputed property and which is the actual park area.
In a few months, that resolved and the actual park area was fenced. The elections happened and nothing moved for a while.
Nayaz, the horticulture superindent and Reddy, Junior Engineer, Horticulture department from the horticulture have the responsibility of developing five parks in the area. Forward 150 members called up Reddy and met him. He said the budget for chain link fencing, a borewell, and a path has been approved in the 2009 budget. We suggested he just level the front portion, make a path, we will plant trees. And the back portion – containing a large ditch, can become a pond, and catchment for rainwater. He said, okay, work will start by end of the week, and gave us the number of the contractor, Bhumi Enterprises. That was mid May.
Next day, we called up Manohar, the proprieter of Bhumi enterprises. He said his grandfather was very serious and he was in his native place. He promised to start the work as soon as he got back to Bangalore.
10 more days passed. Called Manohar again. He said he was going to start with the borewell, as you know because of summer, there’s lot of demand for drilling machines, it’s taking time. JCB has to be sent by BBMP only.
May 31. Reddy said JCB will come tomorrow, from the Mahadevapura office by 11am. And work will start. First levelling will be done completely. There is going to be a Citizen help centre in the same site. Hmmm. AFAWK, the Bangalore One office was planned to be built on the corner plot, along Sarjapur road. Reddy said the corporator Babu Reddy told him that.
Spoke to the corporator. Babu Reddy says the corner plot is under dispute, the case is in court. So the help centre has to be in the park. Also now, there is no budget, BBMP has cancelled 1 crore 52 lakhs that Bellandur was to get. Huh?
The jungle gym remains in a private plot fenced off with barbed wire gathering dust and rust.
Keep watching this space. Will post if and when there is an update.
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As a resident of ‘Raindrops’ i was glad to see the board opposite the apartment earmarked for a playground. I thoutht the space would be used for better use which currently is a public toilet for passer by’s.
Although nothing happened after that until last night when we were woken up by loud noise and drilling which kept us up all night long….
When i checked with the maintenance staff the next day i was told that it was BBMP land and that they were very clearly told to stop the drilling after 10pm…which obviously was not followed…….
There are hundreds of apartments near the site, where was the need to disturb so many residents when the work could have resumed the next day….