A Rs. 30-crore facelift awaits the Lalbagh Botanical Garden which Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa wants developed on the lines of the Jawaharlal Nehru Park in New Delhi.
Musical fountains will be installed in its four corners, the walkers' track will be improved and walkers will be provided more security, Mr. Yeddyurappa announced after reviewing development works at the park on Tuesday.
On the cards are boating, separate amusement facilities for children, drinking water and toilets, according to the Chief Minister who said the expenditure would be shared by the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), Horticulture Department and the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA).
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Issuing directions to officials to start work from Wednesday, he said: “This is not a five-year plan. All works should be completed in a year and they should start from tomorrow itself.” Four more parks on the lines of Lalbagh will come up in the four corners of the city, one of them on the Beggars' Colony land. “The sites for the others are yet to be identified,” he noted.
Citizens complain
Earlier, walkers complained to the Chief Minister about security, water-logging, littering and dog menace. They pointed out that the population of migratory birds in Lalbagh had also declined.
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Encroachments
Later, the Chief Minister visited the tanks at Yelahanka, Tirumanarahalli and Kacharakanahalli and directed the officials to remove encroachments. While the BBMP would spend Rs. 16 crore on the development and beautification of the Yelahanka tank, a park and a hospital would come up near Tirumanaraalli tank, he said.
Mr. Yeddyurappa announced that the proposal for a slaughterhouse in the Kacharakanahalli tank area would be dropped and a park, playground and market would come up instead. A final decision would be taken within the next two weeks after discussing the issue in the Cabinet, he added.
Appointment
Mr. Yeddyurappa also announced that a separate officer would be appointed to clear land encroachments, especially in Devanahalli taluk. Some 4,000 acres of government land has been encroached upon in the taluk.