Cubbon Park land row: walkers allege coffee shop plan, department points to BMRCL

A dispute has surfaced over a parcel of land inside Cubbon Park, with a walkers' group alleging that the space is being carved out for a commercial coffee shop and the state Horticulture Department maintaining that the land is not its to allot.

The Cubbon Park and Lalbagh Walkers' Association has said the land, located next to the Metro station, has been earmarked for the construction of a coffee shop. Association president S. Umesh linked the move to the state government's broader push to open up 5% of park land for public utilities, arguing that the policy has already cost the city protected green space.

"Despite public assurances, the State government's push to alienate 5% of park land for public utilities has already resulted in the loss of protected green space," Umesh said, describing Cubbon Park as the first casualty of what he called a regressive Bill.

The Horticulture Department, however, said it has not allotted any land inside the park for construction. An official said the parcel in question earlier belonged to BSNL and was later acquired by the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) for the metro station and related utilities.

Since the land is under BMRCL's ownership, the official said, it is for the corporation to decide whether it has been handed over for any construction. The differing accounts leave the question of the parcel's use resting with the metro agency.