Bengaluru to get Salumarada Thimmakka Botanical Garden, modelled after Cubbon Park

Karnataka’s Forest, Ecology, and Environment Minister, Eshwar B Khandre, announced the creation of the Salumarada Thimmakka Botanical Garden in North Bengaluru. Speaking at the Wildlife Week valedictory ceremony, Khandre revealed that the 153-acre garden, modelled after Cubbon Park, will be located in Madappanahalli, near the Yelahanka RTO. 

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This green space aims to address the lack of lung space in North Bengaluru and is part of the state's effort to counter rapid urbanization. The land, previously leased to the Karnataka Forest Development Corporation, will be transformed using CSR funds and social responsibility initiatives.

Khandre emphasized the need for green spaces to reclaim Bengaluru’s "Garden City" status. The city’s green cover is at 6.81%, and it has lost 5 square kilometers of green space in the past decade.

In a major environmental step, the State Wildlife Board, chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, has declared Hesaraghatta grasslands as the "Greater Hesaraghatta Grassland Conservation Reserve." Spanning 5,010 acres, the reserve includes grasslands, lakes, and lands under the Animal Husbandry Department. This move, prompted by environmental activists, follows a Karnataka High Court directive to reconsider earlier rejections.

Khandre underscored the significance of preserving such ecosystems to prevent Bengaluru from turning into a "concrete jungle" and to safeguard the city's ecological health.