KHB, Please don’t build malls on playgrounds!

Karnataka Housing Board is building a commercial complex on a playground in Yelahanka Satellite Town in Bangalore, when there are already too many malls coming up nearby.

Yelahanka Satellite Town was once a very peaceful little town. But the boom in the land prices due to the opening of the International Airport is turning this town into another messy metropolis centre.  Every other road is being converted into a commercial road and every vacant site is being filled with huge complexes at jet speed. 

What is hurting is that the Karnataka Housing Board, which designed this beautiful township, themselves are causing this sudden spurt of construction activities. 

A huge piece of land with nearly 70-80 trees is now being turned into a concrete structure of some commercial complex being built by KHB themselves. All the trees were felled in no time! 

Now, the next victim is the only huge vacant space in the first phase just behind BWSSB, which is serving as a lovely playground for hundreds of children and youth.  It seems the Cabinet has approved construction of a mall on this piece of land!

Already there are malls, why one more?

This land is surrounded by educational institutions – National Public School, Yelahanka, Seshadripuram School and College, Yelahanka, Bishop Cottons College of Management Studies, a Nursing College, Jnana Jyothi School and College and a hospital. How can a mall function in the midst of all these?

Just two furlongs away on Bellary Road, a huge mall and apartment complex are coming up. Another two furlongs away inside the township, KHB is constructing a commercial complex and the entire stretch of the first main road just behind this land is lined up with commercial complexes on either side. Hence there is no necessity to build a mall here.

Already, the junction has a very heavy flow of traffic and people find it difficult to cross the roads. Parking has become a menace for the residents around this place. If this piece of land is also converted into a concrete jungle, where will the poor children play? 

Will the authorities please stop this project and help Yelahanka Satellite Town residents?

Related Articles

How disabled-friendly are Bengaluru’s malls?
Malleshwaram slum demolished to build a park
Bengaluru’s markets: Going, going, gone?

Comments:

  1. Mohan J says:

    This is so outrageous. All of us Yelahanka residents should group together and fight back. Such robbery will end only when permission of local residents is made mandatory for any civic construction/modification plans.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Similar Story

What is the ‘smartness’ quotient of Chennai?

The Smart City Advisory Forum was convened in Chennai only 5 times since 2016, showing minimal participation by elected representatives.

Chennai is among the first few cities to get selected under the Smart City Mission programme in 2016. As many as 48 projects under different categories were taken up under the scheme. With only a couple of projects left to be completed, isn't Chennai supposed to look 'smart' now? The much-hyped Central government scheme, launched in 2014, was envisioned to build core infrastructure and evolve 'smart' solutions that would make cities more livable and sustainable. But, a decade since, the reality on the ground may be a little different. While some of the facilities provided under these projects are under-utilised,…

Similar Story

Scenes from a community walk in Mumbai

When I moved to Mumbai, the city felt extremely 'walkable,' but a walking tour in Dadar broadened my definition of walkability.

When I moved to Mumbai in June 2023 for work, I found myself going for sight seeing to the city's tourist destinations. Though the city appeared to have consistent and wide footpaths almost everywhere, vehicular right of way seemed to be prioritised over the pedestrian right of way. This struck me as very strange, even as I continued to enjoy walking through lanes of Mumbai very much. On one hand, there is excellent footpath coverage, utilised by large crowds everywhere. On the other hand, speeding vehicles create obstacles for something as simple as crossing the road.  "Though Mumbai appeared to…