The Playground that is the
area proposed for a Grand Stadium was saved from becoming Judges Layout after a
long 5 years legal battle in the Courts against the Judges by the Residents of
HSR Layout.
No Elected Representative
was responsible for saving the 7.18 acres, it was the dedication and efforts of
the Residents and RWAs that brought down the curtains on the Judges Layout for
which foundation too was laid.
Lack of Transparency:
Firstly, Residents and
RWAs, all wanted some basic development and maintenance of the Ground and to be
left as largely an open Playground, which even Courts had suggested.
Secondly, a Grand Project
was not even discussed with the Residents or RWAs, and were kept in dark till it
came to the notice 3 days prior to CM’s visit, which eventually got postponed.
DPR, Tender Documents,
Costs, Work Order, Project Duration, Workflow, Estimates to the Work Flow,
Final Design approval, Objective of the Project nothing was made available to
the Public by BBMP and MLA’s Office.
Strangely if there is no
full disclosure of Grand Project that is estimated to be Rs140crs with 20 years
in the middle of HSR Layout it only raises more questions and doubts about the
intent of the Project.
Even after RWAs meeting
the MLA and JC Bommanahalli no document was released for scrutiny and
understanding of the Project.
The design that was
circulated clearly indicated a prominent Cricket Stadium with some spaces
outside the Stadium for other Sports and also shows some semi-Commercial ventures.
Even though MLA and
Officials claimed that the designed was changed there was no other
documentation to satisfy the Residents about the new plan.
Meeting of RWAs, 27th
Aug 2020:
An emergency meeting was
called by the HSR Federation to discuss about the Stadium Project and everyone
who spoke at that meeting strongly opposed the Stadium and informed the
Federation to communicate the same to the MLA and JC BBMP. It was also
suggested that development of the Playground is long pending and an open space
Playground should be retained with providing Basic facilities, Safety and Good maintenance.
There were also suggestions to call a larger meeting including the Residents
who are not part of the RWAs like the Apartments and Villages around.
What Public Want?
Open Playground with the
following:
- Good
quality Compound or Fencing around the Ground
- 3
level steps along the Compound/Fencing
- High
Quality Ground (all weather resistant) with seepage to RWH
- Toilets
and a Medical Room
- CCTV
- Security
and Maintenance
- 2
Entrance points - 19th Main and 17th Cross
This is all that can be
done at best in a 7.18 acres Playground which already has a open Gym. The open Playground
is best suited even for the locality and does not leads to more congestion or commercialization
of the locality.
Meeting of the RWAs, 2nd
Sept 2020:
Post the 27th
Aug meeting few members of the HSR Federation were asked by the MLA to meet him,
where his staff seems to have made a slide show on the Project but no details
or document copies were shared.
When I reached the meeting
hall it was evident that there was a different plan. I asked the HSR Federation
President if he has invited others who are not part of the Federation and Residents
from the Apartments, for which he said no one other than the members of the RWAs
and Federation Office Bearers would attend the meeting.
Suddenly the meeting
hall was getting filled with people who were not even invited for the meeting
and it was a clear indication that the meeting was not going to go well.
Generally, at the start
of the meeting of HSR Federation Office Bearers who are conducting the meeting ask
all the non-invitees or non-members to leave but that did not happen either. As
the meeting started HSR Federation President made opening statement and gave
additional inputs and tried to clarify some points as communicated by MLA and
JC Bommanahalli.
Since I am from Sector
1, I was given the opportunity to put across my point, as I started speaking
and quoted a member form the previous meeting that even today there is a fee
collected to play cricket in the ground a planned uproar started. Vested interests
were jeering me and making uncharitable comments.
There was a situation
created and somehow, I got a feeling that vested groups who were present there
will not allow me to complete my points. Suddenly few arguments started by the sidelines
and a member of 2nd Sector was almost pushed around. There was an
emotionally charged atmosphere, and Police entered the meeting ground and all
the noise makers calmed a bit.
I refused to budge and
be cowed down by the people who wanted to silence me and did not allow to be provoked
and refused to be instigated. I asked the HSR Federation President to share the
DPR, Tender documents, Work Flow, Fund allocation etc. which is a standard
process in any Government or BBMP Project process.
It was obvious that
there were no documents and instead of Federation Office Bearers just noting
the points each member was speaking they wanted to give rebuttal and the rest
who were there uninvited people were creating noise and even as Police sat
through the meeting.
I continued to speak and
told the HSR President to make note of all the points of each speaker and not
to respond and interrupt, like I had put across in the previous meeting I stood
firm on my stand that Playground needs proper development and Stadium that is
getting pushed without any documentation is not the answer. Playground like in
many other localities is an open space that everyone needs and any plan to make
it a Stadium would mean losing a locality Playground forever.
I gave the inputs on the
finer points on how this will lead to not only commercialization but will also
encourage non-Sports events. As a Sportsperson who represented State and University,
I shared all the details on how Sports Associations affiliated to different Karnataka
Sports Associations.
All those who spoke against
the Stadium in the previous meeting had clearly changed their stand or were silent.
The fear of being targeted by the vested interest groups had left all the RWA
member shaken. Clapping, Jeering continued and many RWAs members felt that their
voices were muscled down and were not able to express their voices freely, in a
way many RWA members felt that it’s better to give up than fight for their
rights.
Only Me, 6th
Sector Office Bearer and Lalithamba who got to speak in favor of open
Playground stood firm on our stand even when it was fully evident that the
meeting was hijacked by the uninvited people and their objective was to create
unrest and largely the RWA members realized that and kept their calm even when
there were serious provocations.
Many of my friends who
came to know about what happened in the meeting and how personal attacks verbally
was made to silence some of us called me and expressed their displeasure on the
entire episode and also expressed their solidarity with all those who have been
trying their best to save the Playground for everyone.
Any large project needs
full transparency as it’s the Public money that is involved and the voices of
the Residents is critical. Projects like this without open discussion and
planning will only add to the list of money being wasted on what people may not
even use or want.
Hope this message reaches
the office of Hon Chief Minister of Karnataka and the project is reassessed with
full transparence and adherence to the guidelines and voices of the people.
- Kavitha Reddy, www.KavithaReddy.in
- Kavitha Reddy, www.KavithaReddy.in
