Last week, residents of Indiranagar and surrounding areas had organised a cricket tournament involving residents, government officials and the police in a playground in Indiranagar 1st Stage.
Around the same time, they learnt of the resurrection of a plan to construct an indoor stadium on the playground. The plan had been shelved last year following vehement protests by residents. On June 28, newspapers carried a tender notification regarding the stadium project.
“It came as a complete shock. Ironically, the news reached us when we launched the community cricket tournament. There is no playground in Indiranagar 1st and 2nd stages. They are calling it development, but there is so much you can do to improve the locality with the same funds. They should be doing what we want, not what they want,” said Swarna Venkataraman, vice-president, Indiranagar First Stage League Residents’ Welfare Association.
Local officials denied received any official communication on the proposal, but their counterparts in the head office confirmed it.
B.S. Prahallad, Chief Engineer, Major Roads, BBMP said the proposed stadium would be built at a cost of ₹5 crore. “It will be an indoor games stadium and will be free for all. The last date for submission of bids is July 20. The memorandum of understanding will be signed on July 24,” he said.
When asked about the opposition from local residents, including school students who do not have an alternative, he said, “We will try to convince them.” He brushed aside allegations of such stadia becoming avenues for non-sporting activities, such as exhibitions.
Open spaces fight for survival
Opposition to construction of a stadium on the playground in Indiranagar comes at a time when the city has witnessed a slew of similar protests since last year to protect Bengaluru’s last remaining open spaces. As per records of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), there are less than 300 playgrounds in the city.
In 2016, the Indiranagar episode was followed by an uprising by residents in other areas to threats of encroachment of playgrounds. In Defence Colony in Indiranagar, residents came across fencing of a portion of a five-acre playground, at Jeevan Bima Nagar, residents were engaged in a campaign to convert an open space in the neighbourhood into a children's park.
Close-by, residents of New Thippasandra and surrounding areas successfully warded off plans to start a private cricket academy in the only playground in the area, which was also used by students of at least three schools. The proposed cricket academy was reportedly that of the son of an MLC.
Urban planner Champaka Rajagopal said the open space availability in Indiranagar (Ward 80) is less than one sq. m. per person while the national planning standards prescribes 12 sq. m. per person. Liveable cities across the world have six to 14 sq. m. per person of open space at the ward level, she pointed out.
“If they build an indoor stadium, it implies monetisation of public land, which will mean the stadium will be used for commercial purposes (exhibition-cum-sale, etc) when it is not used for sporting activities. This will, in turn, increase negative externalities — bringing greater congestion in terms of vehicular movement, parking requirement and solid waste generation, which is unacceptable in a residential area. Moreover, there is a deficiency of open spaces in the city. So it is important to fiercely protect our playgrounds,” she said.
