After much deliberation, the traffic entry rules of Cubbon Park have been revised yet again. In a meeting chaired by Karnataka Chief Secretary Shalini Rajaneesh on January 23, it was decided that traffic movement will be allowed inside Cubbon Park between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. on alternate Saturdays, for three months.
While the Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) had proposed that vehicles should be allowed inside the park even on holidays and weekends due to congestion in the Central Business District (CBD), regular visitors, including members of Cubbon Park Conservation Committee, had opposed the idea citing pollution and ecological harm.
The citizens had started a campaign called ‘Pradakshiney Haaki’, with an online petition, to stop traffic movement inside the park on holidays.
Following these developments, in the meeting held on January 23, officials of the Horticulture Department and BTP, Shivajinagar MLA Rizwan Arshad, Shantinagar MLA N. A. Harris, environmentalist A. N. Yellappa Reddy and the Cubbon Park Conservation Committee discussed the pros and cons of letting traffic inside the park.
“It was decided in the meeting that the traffic will be allowed for three hours in the evening on alternate Saturdays to assess its impact on both the traffic and the park. There is too much traffic on Saturdays, and there are no visitors to the park at that time. The findings will be reviewed after three months before taking any further decision,” said a senior official who attended the meeting.
Regular visitors to the park are not happy with the decision, and want to continue their fight for traffic-free weekends and public holidays in Cubbon Park.
Published - January 24, 2025 02:02 pm IST
