Park or tennis court? What do people want?

BANGALORE: If the controversy over the upcoming tennis court is anything to go by, it seems that not many people from Vyalikaval will benefit from Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike's (BBMP’s) decision to spend lakhs of rupees to develop a tennis court.According to the BBMP records, the place that is being converted to a tennis court, was a park. “It is not clear what made the BBMP authorities implement this ‘development’ work in a terrible hurry. The place was a park. We want the BBMP to develop it as a park and not convert it to a tennis court. The park will be more useful for the residents of this area,” said Jyothi Bhat, a resident of Vyalikaval.It is quite surprising to see the BBMP, which is expected to preserve parks in Bangalore, playing the spoilsport. “We requested the BBMP authorities to not only retain the park but also develop it. But our pleas fell on deaf ears. I used to visit this park with my parents. The park was useful for all of us from the area,” said Trinity C Dsouza, a resident of the 1st Cross, 1st Main, Vyalikaval.Many residents say that the park was an ideal place for women and aged people, who could not go to the park at Sankey Tank, to go for their morning walks. “My family members used to visit this park. Unfortunately, the BBMP is in a hurry to convert it into a tennis court. This will  not benefit many people of this area,” said Syed Yakub, a retired central government employee who has been staying at Vyalikaval for  the last 15 years. Meanwhile, executive engineer (Project-West) states that the decision of shifting the park from the south of the playground to the north  is in the interest of senior citizens and to provide an opportunity for the residents of Vyalikaval to participate in sports. A letter from superintendent, horticulture department (West) dated June 23, 2010, states that the BBMP had appointed a gardener to look after the park and he retired on June 30, 2003. As per the Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) Act, 1975, it is the duty of the government to preserve and maintain the parks. “The BBMP’s decision to convert the park into a tennis court is the violation of the Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) Act, 1975. The proposed tennis court will benefit only a few people but the park is useful for a number of people,” said Dr Yallappa Reddy, an environmentalist.However, M Vijaya Kumari, corporator, Rajmahal Guttahalli Ward, defended the BBMP’s decision. “We are spending Rs. 15 lakh to provide a park on the northern side of the playground for the benefit of senior citizens. The upcoming tennis court will benefit many people,” said Vijaya Kumari. When asked about the violation of the Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) Act, 1975,  she declined to comment.