Bengaluru: Much to the relief of Bengalureans, a large lung space is coming up at Mallasandra Gudde (hill) in Jalahalli, which was once a garbage landfill.
The Bruhath Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), with the support of Handson CSR, is turning the once barren, rocky, extensively quarried 25-acre space into a tree park. Handson CSR is a voluntary organisation connecting corporate social responsibility wings of various industries with the government for developmental as well as environmental conservation projects.
A hiking track, an indoor stadium with five badminton courts, a yoga Centre, a replica of Kempegowda fort on top of the hill, a skating rink, a gym for senior citizens, a library and a playground are also coming up in the space. Rainwater harvesting units are being built to store 60 percent of the
rainwater received in the area.
“The area can accommodate about 1,000 trees. The Dell CSR wing has contributed 200 saplings and Samsung will plant 200 more in a month. Earlier, the BBMP used to provide 1-2 ft saplings for free for reforestation purposes. But these had only 20 percent chance of survival. We suggested 20 ft saplings, which have 75-80 percent survival rate. It takes five people to carry a plant, but the effort is worth it. It is good to see so many corporate employees doing such intense labour for a greener Bengaluru,” said Mr Gunanandan Rao, founder member, Handson CSR.
