Lalbagh gets disabled-friendly restroom

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: In a thoughtful move towards making public spaces more ac cessible, Bengaluru’s iconic Lalbagh Botanical Garden is all set to open a new wheelchair-friendly restroom for visitors with disabilities. The specially designed facility will be inaugurated on Saturday, with Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya scheduled to participate in the opening ceremony. The restroom has been built at a prime location near Lalbagh’s West Gate to ensure easy access for differently-abled visitors and senior citizens.

The initiative is a collaborative effort between the Australian High Commission in India, the Karnataka Horticulture Department, and Ramp My City, a non-governmental organisation working to make urban infrastructure inclusive for persons with disabilities. Thousands of people visit Lalbagh every day, but a lack of accessible sanitation has long posed a challenge for wheel chair users and visitors with mobility issues.

With this new facility, officials hope to set an example for other major public spaces in Bengaluru and other parts of Karnataka. Speaking about the project, officials from the Horticulture Department said the new restroom is just one step towards transforming Lalbagh into a more inclusive green space. Visitors and disability rights activists have welcomed the move, saying it will make the heritage garden more convenient for everyone.