Horticulture dept wants closure of Cubbon Park Roads

The Horticulture department has revived its demand for permanent closure of two roads through the Cubbon Park in view of the completion of the metro work.

 The department will submit a representation to the city police on Thursday seeking to close down 700-metre stretch from MG Road to Fountain Circle leading to KR Circle and UB City and 600-metre stretch to Press Club connecting to the High Court.

Deputy Director of Horticulture department (Cubbon Park), Mahantesh Murgod, told Deccan Herald  that Shankar Bidari, during his tenure as the city police commissioner in March 2011 had ordered the opening of the Park gate on Bal Bhavan side to facilitate the metro work. “Since the work on metro has been completed and even the operations have began, we are requesting the police to close the gates permanently,” he said.

Officials said that the roads were permanently closed before 2011. “The stretches were used to divert the traffic towards KR Circle and Vittal Mallya junction avoiding the Vidhana Soudha. They were tarred and lit up. Now the roads connecting the Vidhana Soudha are less congested and hence those cutting through Cubbon Park should be closed again,” an officer said. The passenger car unit (PCU) on Bal Bhavan-Fountain Circle Road is one lakh vehicles per day, he added.

Murgod said that the department had requested for closure of the gates in September, 2015. The joint director of the department wrote another letter to the city police in February 2016 and the Director of the department wrote again in March this year, but there had been no reply.

Traffic commissioner Hitendra, though was in favour of status quo, said the request for closure of roads required a detailed discussion.

Greens welcome move
S Umesh, President, Cubbon Park Walkers' Association, said restricting movement of vehicles through the park would help save the prime lung space of the city. He said that alternative roads were available for the commuters’ use.

Environmentalist A N Yellappa Reddy also seconded the proposal. “Earlier, there was reluctance to closing Cubbon Park on second Saturdays and Sundays. But, now all are convinced and happy. The same will happen in the case of closure of roads. Smog is depositing on vegetations and impeding seed production. Tree health is also deteriorating due to movement of vehicles through the park,” Reddy said.