Bangalore: Cubbon Park to get a makeover

Cubbon Park may soon become a tree lovers’ paradise, botanists’ laboratory and joggers’ haven if the plans of the horticulture department work.

The department has begun efforts to make the park friendly to visitors by making it more accessible and less dangerous.
There are some inaccessible areas in the park where eunuchs and chain-snatchers frequent to harass or loot visitors, said M Jagadeesh, deputy director of horticulture, Cubbon Park.

One such is the triangular space between Siddlingiah Circle, Husdson Circle and Century Club which is not as developed as some other areas of the park, he said.  The department will focus on sprucing up these problems areas. There will be more varieties of shady trees along patches where there are not enough trees and the joggers’ path will be lined with shrubs and medicinal plants.
 

“Those who visit the park early in the morning do so for health benefits and we are looking at what kind of medicinal plants can be planted along the path so that joggers can benefit from them. We have already made a list of plants and are looking at which plants are suitable for this kind of soil and climate and after finalising it, we will procure them,” said Jagadeesh.

The department is also taking steps to preserve what they believe is an age old tradition.

“About a fortnight before the Karaga festival begins at the Dharmaraya devasthana, poojas are held at the temple inside Cubbon Park. To preserve this, we have decided to convert the small pond here into a Kalyani that can be accessed every year during Karaga festival,” he said.
 
The department also plans to set up a number of recharge wells that will help is harvesting additional water during monsoon and in recharging the ground water table.

Although the park is not a botanical garden like Lal Bagh, the horticulture department is planning to plant more trees such as Jhalari and Surugi to draw visitors.

The department will also be procuring new species of plants such as Mesuva ferra and Tabubia donalsmithi which are seen only in a few places like Raj Bhavan and IISc.