Bangalore park turns hot spot for adolescents

Old people and families visiting the park on Madiwala Lake have to be like the three wise monkeys that hear, see and speak no evil.

Lovers embarrass them as they go searching for a seat. Most concrete benches are occupied by teen couples holding hands and whispering sweet nothing into each other’s ears.
It is as if the park belongs only to these adolescents. There is no space for others.

There are no guards to discipline them. One can enter the park by paying the entry fee of Rs5 and stay there from dawn to dusk.
Forest department employees, who issue entry tickets to visitors, do not bother about what these adolescents do once they enter the park.

From morning, boys on bikes come with their girls. There is parking facility for two-wheelers inside the park.

Many stay till sundown
 “These lovers have indeed become a nuisance for us and old people,” said a forest department employee on the condition of anonymity.

“It is hard to make out what they are doing,’’ he added. Employees feel helpless as they cannot make these lovers behave.

“There are some who come here just for the pleasure of watching lovers. Adolescents, mostly college students, are wasting their precious time this way,’’ said another employee requesting anonymity.

It is difficult for the forest department staff to control the youth indulging in such indecent acts inside the park, said V Ganesh, range forest officer of Krishnarajapuram division.

“Whenever our employees try to question them, they say they were just chatting. They neither admit to their wrongdoing nor realise the importance of behaving in public. Police should take action against people who behave indecently in parks,’’ said Ganesh.
Police seem to be finally waking up to the reality. Ganapathy MK, police Inspector of Madiwala station, says police constables will be posted in the park shortly.

“No one has brought this problem to my notice. I will depute a few policemen to chase away adolescents who behave indecently in the park,’’ he said.

The residents of BTM Layout want women police constables to be deputed to handle girls who skip work or classes to spent time in the park.

H Subbanna, assistant commissioner of police, Madiwala division, said he would instruct the police inspector to take measures to prevent people from misusing the park.