45-Acre Tree Park Opens in Panathur, Bengaluru

A 45-acre tree park at Panathur was inaugurated on Wednesday by Environment Minister Ramalinga Reddy. The facility has been developed on Forest Department land in Panathur village, Varthur Hobli, where the department owns a total of 145 acres.

The park was created under the Forest Department's Urban Forest Scheme, supported by CSR funds from Qualcomm India Pvt. Ltd. and executed in collaboration with the NGO SayTrees. The project cost ₹4.5 crore, met entirely through CSR funding.

Speaking at the inauguration, Mr. Reddy said an additional CSR contribution of ₹1 crore should be used to construct a compound wall around the area. He also called for efforts to increase green cover, noting that the locality is home to various species of trees, plants, animals and birds.

The park features a 2-km eco-trail along with an open gym, a children's play area, toilets, a vehicle parking area and gazebos.

Mr. Reddy said that, as already announced by the Chief Minister, there are plans to develop four more large parks at different locations across the city, in addition to Lalbagh and Cubbon Park. He added that the main objective of the project is to provide an environment with increased green cover for people living in urban areas, promote environmental conservation, and offer healthy recreational facilities to the public.