Stampede in Bengaluru: Fan frenzy leaves Cubbon Park, Vidhana Soudha gardens extensively damaged
With close to 2 lakh cricket fans descending on Ambedkar Veedhi to catch a glimpse of their favourite cricketers, several youngsters perched on top of trees and iron railings of the garden compound, resulting in considerable damage to the plants and the park's infrastructure.
According to horticulture department officials, the fans not only stomped on the well-manicured lawns of Vidhana Soudha and the high court but also damaged close to one lakh saplings, bushes, trees, and annuals such as marigold, petunias, and hibiscus, which were either broken or completely damaged in Cubbon Park.
Besides, the zealous fans, to get the best view of their stars, tried standing on topiary structures at Vidhana Soudha and the high court garden, leaving them completely broken and damaged.
G Kusuma, deputy director of horticulture (Cubbon Park), revealed that 70-75 topiary structures were damaged beyond repair and required complete replacement. "We kept these topiaries along the median and within the gardens.
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All of them have been damaged. Apart from this, the iron railing barricade measuring 2-3ft around the garden has also been broken at some places," she pointed out.
To make the iconic street resplendent with vibrant colours, the horticulture department raised special gardens and curated lawns over the last two years as an extended part of Cubbon Park. "The garden was not just about the lawn but had various plants of several species, including annuals, shrubs, small ornamental plants, and trees.
All of them have been damaged, and we have to raise them afresh. We tried convincing a couple of fans who were sitting precariously on branches of delicate trees, but none of them was in any mood to listen to us.
Several branches have also been broken due to the weight of the fans," explained another official of Cubbon Park.
When TOI visited the lawns a day after the incident, it was all laid bare, and in some corners, the grass was flattened. The compost and humus-rich soil had become hard, making it tough for the gardeners to replant. While the plants were crushed and trampled, some parts of the irrigation sprinkler system were also broken and damaged by the crowd. Even though the horticulture officials are yet to estimate the extent of the damage, officials revealed that they may require about Rs 25 lakh to regenerate the entire garden again.
— Prathikaa V Shastry
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