Bengaluru parks and lakes struggle as CSR funding fails to take off

The city that powers India’s tech economy has failed to power its own green lungs, Bengaluru’s grand plan to woo corporate CSR funds for parks and lakes has nearly collapsed.

The Greater Bengaluru Authority’s much-hyped effort to draw Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds for maintaining parks and reviving lakes has barely taken off, exposing a striking gap between corporate promises and urban priorities.

The idea was simple and appealing: encourage companies to “adopt” public spaces, parks, medians, and lakes, as part of their CSR outreach. The civic body even hired a full-time CSR manager to chase these partnerships, spending nearly a lakh every month on the post. But months later, the results are dismal, sponsorships for barely 10 parks out of 1,280.

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Several presentations, proposals, and meetings were held with major corporate houses. Plans were drawn to show how companies could contribute, from lake rejuvenation to park beautification, and gain visibility for their social initiatives. But despite the initial nods and polite appreciation, the momentum never turned into real action.

Corporates that frequently champion causes like education, health, and traffic safety have shown little enthusiasm for environmental maintenance. A few token gestures like benches and dustbins have trickled in, but no sustained financial commitment has emerged.

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The cost of maintaining a medium-sized park crosses ₹2 lakh a month, while larger parks need upwards of ₹30 lakh. With shrinking budgets and mounting civic pressures, the absence of CSR support has hit hard.

While a legal case on lake development currently limits CSR use for core works, funds could still have aided peripheral development and maintenance. Yet, even that window has gone underutilized. 

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