Cubbon park PS to lose its wall

July 19: Cubbon Park police station, a familiar landmark for those who travel through the central parts of the city, is all set to lose its compound wall to the controversial road widening project undertaken by BBMP. While the project has been stalled temporarily because of opposition from the affected property owners, the wall on Kasturba Road will have to be demolished as the tender for the work has already been issued, said sources.

Members of Agenda for Bengaluru Infrastructure Development (ABIDe) are fighting to save heritage structures across the city and have even formulated the Bengaluru Heritage Policy. Speaking to Deccan Chronicle Abide member Ashwin Mahesh said the government must concentrate on preserving heritage structures which are a source of pride for city residents.

“Since only the compound wall of the police station is being razed down, I don’t think it has any heritage value. Only forts were provided with compound walls and not buildings. The compound wall must have been built in the 1920s and might not have heritage value,” he said, In England, the English Heritage Trust buys structures with heritage value by raising money from heritage lovers and preserves the buildings. Unfortunately, we lack such a system here,” Mr Mahesh said.

“Widening every road to find a solution to traffic congestion is not feasible. Instead, we should explore other options. Whenever a road is widened, the footpath also needs to be wider. While widening Kasturba Road wider
footpaths must be provided. Once the BMRCL commences Metro operations, commuters can using the footpath,” he said.