Bengaluru: Proposal to rejuvenate three lakes in Cubbon Park still on ice

Bengaluru: Eight months ago, walkers at Cubbon Park had many reasons to rejoice as a private firm came forward to rejuvenate the lakes in the city’s iconic park. Senior citizen walkers had more reasons to be happy as they would not have to worry about attending to nature’s call when out in the park.

However, the project which was welcomed by the walkers seems to be struggling to kick off, thanks to the apathy of the Horticulture department officials. According to sources, the proposal to rejuvenate three lakes inside the park was submitted by Tata Consultancy Services, which holds a marathon event here every year. Sources said that six months ago representatives of TCS met Horticulture department’s deputy director Mahantesh Murugod to discuss project details. Since then, however, there has been no positive response from the department although it only had to give a signature for its consent, added the source.

Event promoter Procam International Pvt Ltd CEO Dilip Jayaram told Deccan Chronicle that the department was communicating with Cubbon Walkers’ Association, which updated the status to them. The members however, had not received any official confirmation yet. “We proposed to rejuvenate the lakes based on a study conducted by an expert in limnology (the scientific study of bodies of fresh water). The study may go on for a year after which we will have to allow the lake to get back to its original condition. All these processes can only start after the department gives its nod,” Mr Jayaram said.

Along with lake rejuvenation, TCS will also fund the project to set up toilets and install more dustbins on the park premises. While the lake will be maintained annually by the MNC, the maintenance of toilets will be the Horticulture department’s responsibility. The overall cost of these projects is yet to be estimated, Mr Jayaram said.

Meanwhile, members of Cubbon Park Walkers’ Association rued the fact that due to the disinterest of the Horticulture department, the development of the park had taken a backseat.

“It’s a project that may cost crores of rupees and the MNC, which has been holding a marathon event in the park for many years, is keen to take up its development work. It’s unfortunate that the government department itself is not interested to cooperate with private firms. If it had given its nod earlier, the toilets would have been operational before the marathon,” said S. Umesh, president of the association.