Bengaluru: After severe opposition from walkers and joggers, the state government has rejected the Horticulture department’s proposal to construct a glass house in Cubbon Park.
The department had recommended that since the Cubbon Park authorities were organising an annual flower show on the park premises, a glass house on the lines of the century-old Glass House in Lalbagh Botanical Gardens was needed.
In this regard, the Horticulture department officials had even identified a venue near Ring Wood Circle, behind Central Library and had a model design was prepared by private architects. However, all the major plans of the department have now fallen flat with the government rejecting the proposal.
Reacting to this, Mahantesh Murgod, deputy director of Cubbon Park (Horticulture Department), said that it was unfortunate that there was negative response from walkers and joggers, and the government couldn’t be convinced about the project.
“The need for a glass house was strongly felt when during a flower show rains destroyed some of the flowers and visitors had to run helter-skelter for shade. The proposal was made to safeguard both flowers and provide shelter to visitors,” he said.
Mr Murgod added that the authorities had further suggested the glass house could be used for various activities, including flower shows, yoga and exhibitions.
“Apart from such events, we had planned that the space can even be rented out for corporate meetings and other gatherings,” he said. However, the officials have failed to convince the government to allocate funds for the glass house and the proposal has been dropped indefinitely.
“Although no budget plan was given to the government, we had estimated that the glass house construction could cost Rs 10 crore and it could be completed within a year. Now, the proposal has been rejected and we have no plans of redrafting the proposal or making changes to the plan,” he said.
An eyesore!
The walkers have also complained that the Horticulture department had undertaken repairs of lawn and pedestrian pathways on the park premises and it has walking a nightmare in the park. Cubbon Park Walkers’ Association president S. Umesh said the park was dug up from many days, inconveniencing both walkers and motorists.
“The park is an eyesore more than anything and it’s no walk in the park for morning walkers and joggers. It’s dusty, dug up and provides no fresh air in the mornings. It’s equally bad for motorists in the evening who wade through the heaps of mud, cement and other construction material dumped all along the park. It’s hard to understand why the authorities are taking so much time to complete the repairs,” Mahantesh Murgod, deputy director of Cubbon Park (Horticulture Department), said.
