The Cubbon Park finally gets a breather! For at least five days in a month, this green patch will be free from air and noise pollution. Bangaloreans and tourists can move around freely inside the park without worrying about being mowed down by speeding vehicles. Likewise, senior citizens and the health conscious can enjoy their walk without being troubled by the vehicular fumes and the noise.
One of the two major lung spaces of the city, the Cubbon Park has always been under a constant threat of encroachment and disturbance.
The roads inside the park, which total 10 kms, connect various parts of the City and is used as a ‘short cut’ route. In recent years, the volume of traffic has increased substantially turning the park into any other bustling street. About 60,000 vehicles use the roads in the park everyday.
Basically the park was designed as a public park for recreation purposes a little more than a century ago.
The park harbours a significant amount of biodiversity including protected and endangered species.

Apart from being an ideal location for joggers and children, it is also an ideal place for naturalists to study the flora and fauna. “There are 6,000 trees comprising 96 species apart from creepers, herbs and shrubs. The park is vital for Bangaloreans as it not only replenishes oxygen but also lends the City an aesthetic touch,” says Deputy Director of Cubbon Park Mr Venugopal. According to S Karthikeyan of World Wildlife Fund for Nature, about 20 per cent of the city’s bird species and 33 per cent of the butterflies are found in the park. But what prompted the authorities to ban vehicular movement in the park on Sundays, second Saturdays and general holidays? Justice M F Saldanha, who has been the main force for getting the park closed for traffic, says that such a move had been in the offing for last three-years.

The fallout of this closure has been on demand for parking space around Cubbon Park. Kasturba Road, Vittal Mallya Road and MG Road will have to bear the brunt of weekend visitors to the park.
Meanwhile, plans to beautify Cubbon Park are being chalked out. The Horticulture Department also has plans to hold cultural activities on these days in the park including a ‘Park Festival’ from December 7 to 13. The department has also desilted the Lotus Pond and efforts are being made to recharge the groundwater.