In 2014, Milton Street Park and High Street Children’s Park in Cooke Town were a mess of shrubs and overgrown weeds. Around this time, Namma Bengaluru-Nanna Koduge, a programme by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), was launched to encourage individuals and corporations to take up maintenance of public spaces.
The Residents’ Welfare Association Bangalore East (REWABE) grabbed the opportunity to make the parks in their neighbourhoods safe for the community. The two parks are now showpieces in the neighbourhood, with walkways, neat and well-maintained benches, streetlights, and play areas for children.
The process of sprucing up the parks was a community activity. Apart from donations and contributions by residents and local leaders, REWABE conducts a ‘Hand in Hand Flea Market’ twice a year.
Indira Arun, secretary, REWABE, said, “It is an open market. Kitchen utensils, gardening products, cosmetics, food, art and craft items, and clothes are among the items for sale. The revenue from these events is used for maintenance of the parks.”
With different priorities, various ways of raising funds, and many problems and challenges to grapple with, RWAs across the city have taken up the task of maintaining parks in their neighbourhoods. Parks adopted and maintained by them follow the BBMP guidelines as per an MoU, including timings and access to the public. The RWAs maintaining parks have a mixed response about the BBMP’s support.
Two parks in Defence Colony — one designed for children and the other for senior citizens — are maintained by the Defence Colony Residents’ Association (DECORA). Ashok Sarath, association president, said that apart from maintaining the parks, DECORA has revived an open well near one of the parks maintained by the BBMP.
B.M. Kaval Residents’ Welfare Association is maintaining the B.M. Kaval Park near Indiranagar. Sneha Nandihal, from the association, said they adopted the park as it had more or less turned into a jungle as the gardener was not being paid by the BBMP. “We are not able to get CSR funds. Recently, we managed to get some funds from the Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme,” she said.
A park in Koramangala is being maintained by the Koramangala 3rd Block Residents’ Welfare Association through CSR funds. “We enjoy volunteering for the maintenance work. Now, the park is vibrant and is used by hundreds of people every day,” a volunteer said.
‘Inflexible’ rules
However, “inflexibility” of BBMP rules has become a challenge for RWAs. Ms. Nandihal said getting the MoU renewed was a cumbersome process as officials have been non-cooperative. “We are made to run from pillar to post. But, if we give up, the park will go back to being unkempt,” she said.
The BBMP’s rules do not prohibit adults from using equipment meant for children at the Defence Colony Park. “Apart from damage to the equipment, it is a serious security issue. It would be great if this park is used only by children. However, the BBMP rules do not allow that,” said Ashok Sarath, president of DECORA. “Since we raise funds and also take the trouble of managing the parks, the BBMP should give us some freedom in maintenance.”
Many RWAs are also “informally” maintaining some parks. “We cannot adopt a neighbourhood park owing to local politics. We maintain it nonetheless as we are the ones using it,” said the member of an RWA at Whitefield.
