Gig workers want parks to remain open through the day

NT Correspondent
Bengaluru

Gig workers in the city say that parks in residential areas are not accessible to them. Thousands of these workers have complained to Bruhat Bengaluru Mahangara Palike (BBMP) regarding the same. They have asked the civic body to open the parks throughout the day for people who need a short break from their busy schedules.

On a hot Tuesday afternoon, Anirudh, a Rapido driver, wanted to rest for a while after a tiring morning. He was looking for a park in Jayanagar to relax. After finding all the parks shut in the area at noon, he decided to continue working.

"I am working for Rapido. I am tired from riding my bike all day, and I want to take a rest in between. But at around 8 pm at night in areas like Koramangala or Jayanagar, no park is open that late. If parks in these areas are open till late, it will help people like me, who are out working all day," says Anirudh.

Thousands of gig workers like Anirudh in Bengaluru don't have a place to rest during noon or dine after 8 pm. The problem is that parks in residential areas like JP Nagar, Jayanagar, Koramangala and BTM layout are open from 6 am to 11 am and 4-5 pm to 7 pm. This leaves the park inaccessible to many gig workers and civic workers.

Vinay Sarathi, president of the United Food Delivery Partners' Union, says that Resident Welfare Associations (RWA) have a say in deciding when these parks will be opened. "RWA in these areas are to be blamed for the timing. People in these associations don't want the working population to enter these parks. Government should take action to make these parks accessible to everyone," he said.

He also alleges that parks in the city only cater to the walkers and not the gig workers. After receiving several complaints, BBMP has decided it will soon issue an order to keep the parks in residential areas open from 6 am to 8 pm to make public spaces accessible to everyone. However, BBMP informed that parks under lakes would remain restricted for ecological reasons.