Bengaluru: A hand-written board says it straight: “College students and couples not allowed”. This is at the southern entrance of Bugle Rock park in Basavanagudi.
Situated between a women’s college and the famous Bull Temple, the rocky garden has forever been a favourite haunt of young couples, as much as it has been for walkers, the elderly and children.
Now, though, as the euphemistic 'PDA' moves from the quaint old holding of hands of the 1970s to kissing and hugging, conservative Basavanagudi is agitated.
“Residents of the area must have taken this action, annoyed by the youngsters who frequent it. I have seen teenagers engaging in inappropriate behaviour here. They must respect the presence of others in public areas,” says middle-aged Venkat Shyam, a frequent visitor to the park who posted a picture of the board on a social networking site.
Earlier this year, the BBMP installed eight CCTV cameras in the park and warned that those engaging in PDA in the park would be thrown out, after many senior citizens complained that all that kissing and hugging in public made them uneasy. - Shravan Regret Iyer
