11-yr-old's death: Not the first time the gate has fallen, claim residents; slam BBMP

NT Bengaluru: Residents and opposition party leaders have slammed Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) for negligence in the wake of a playground gate falling on a 11-year-old boy killing him. Raja Shankara park, once frequented by film stars, has now gathered attention for the wrong reasons. Located in Ward 77, Dattatreya Temple in Gandhinagar, the park was renovated back in 2022, but not in the manner residents had envisioned. They wanted gravel to be used for the play area but mud was laid on it instead.

Deepti, a resident staying in the vicinity of the park, claimed that the BBMP despite repeated complaints, had adoped a lackadaisical approch to maintenance of the park. “Seven months ago, the same gate had fallen but luckily, no one was present at the spot. The gate was merely welded back into the entrance,” she alleged hinting at negligent repair work. After a visit to the ground, Bengaluru Central MP PC Mohan demanded that a police case be filed against the contractor responsible for the work while the engineer who supervised the work should face action and be arrested. When approached, the chief engineer of the west zone said: “ A committee led by the BBMP chief commissioner, zonal commissioner and myself will look into the matter and closely scrutinise the complaints by the public. Appropriate action, and an ex-gratia fund will be announced soon.Chief commissioner Tushar Girinath also said that a committee will look into all angles of the incident.

Many such park gates waiting to collapse, residents warn: Residents from different parts of the city claim that gates of parks, or boundary grills are waiting to fall, due to poor installation. Rahman Quadri, resident of New Thippasandra noted that the gate in a BDA park is about to fall, due to tree growth. “Despite complaints via the Sahaaya app, no action has been taken,” he said. Vajapeyam Srivatsa, another resident, pointed to the condition of an entry gate to a park in Ward number 198.