Civil society groups question government over proposed amusement park near Krishnaraja Sagar

Civil society groups question government over proposed amusement park near Krishnaraja Sagar

The proposed amusement park near the Krishnaraja Sagar is expected to cost ₹2,663 crore. – File Photo
| Photo Credit: M.A. SRIRAM

The proposed amusement park near the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS), which secured the Cabinet approval on Friday and is expected to cost ₹2,663 crore, has triggered opposition and concerns over the safety of the dam, with civil society groups questioning the priority of the government.

The concept was originally mooted in 2018 and there was vehement opposition to the project back then too.

Maj.Gen. Sudhir Vombatkere (retd) of the National Alliance of People’s Movement said the proposal amounts to “handing over 198 acres of public land to a private entity for profiteering” while the environmental cost and social loss of the land-losers was not even estimated. There are also safety issues as any foundation for new works entails blasting that could jeopardise the dam’s safety, he said.

With no environmental impact assessment and social impact Assessment of the project, nor an economic feasibility study conducted by the government, even a crude cost-benefit ratio cannot be arrived at, said Mr. Vombatkere. He also questioned why the proposal has not been placed in public domain for suggestions and objections.

Many have raised concerns over the safety of the Krishnaraja Sagar in view of the proposed amusement park near the dam. – File Photo
| Photo Credit:
M.A. SRIRAM

Historical importance

Convener of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural HeritageN.S. Rangaraju touched upon the historic importance of the dam and said the Brindavan Gardens adjoining it was developed between 1927 and 1932 by Diwan Sir Mirza Ismail and has heritage value. The dam being a major engineering marvel of its time and Brindavan Gardens being part of the landscape, a modern amusement park near it will not align with the historical and heritage value of the place, he added.

“The proposed amusement park may as well be developed at Film City at Immavu near Mysuru as it will attract more tourists,” he added.

KRRS opposed

TheKarnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) has already opposed the project on the grounds that it would not allow the government to procure agricultural land near the dam for an amusement park. KRRS leader Badagalapura Nagendra has said the government had earlier dropped the project following public opposition.

He claimed that the establishment of the proposed amusement park requires the acquisition of 198 acres in addition to the existing land. Mr. Nagendra said the KRRS would never accept the acquisition of fertile agricultural land around the KRS for the purpose of setting up a park.

Besides, the stakeholders wondered how the government wished to press ahead with the project when there was opposition to holding even trial blasts near the KRS to assess the impact of mining and quarrying within a radius of 20 km of the dam.

Protect Cauvery

They suggested that instead, a scientific project to protect the Cauvery and its environment in this era of climate change was the need of the hour and should be taken up.

Interestingly, M. Lakshman, chairperson of the Institution of Engineers, Karnataka centre, and also spokesperson of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, told The Hindu that he had opposed the project when it was first mooted a few years ago and his stance had not changed.

‘’I am opposed to the project in my capacity as chairperson of the Institution of Engineers and convener of the Cauvery Technical Committee,” he said.

Flagging heritage value

In 2018, when the redesign was first proposed, Alyia Phelps-Gardiner Krubiegel, the great-granddaughter of Gustav Hermann Krumbiegel, the German horticulturist and landscape architect who designed Brindavan Gardens, had written to the then Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, opposing the project. She had suggested that Brindavan Gardens be protected as a heritage site instead.

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