Sir,

The recent news items about converting Brindavan Gardens on the lines of Disneyland is really troublesome to say the least. I am putting forward my views about the futility of the whole Disneyland Project idea.

1. Heritage: Alyia Krumbiegel has been shouting from top of her voice the efforts put in by her great grandfather in building of Brindavan Gardens. Maharaja had appointed Gustav Hermann Krumbiegel to plan and design it. Meticulous planning and construction has gone into the making of the Garden. It was one of the places that the Maharaja took pride in. At one point of time, the Garden was one of the premier places to visit not only in the State but one in the country. It should be considered as a heritage structure and not to be meddled with. Just like Taj Mahal, this is a marvellous place to visit and also to preserve.
2. Ecosystem: As such ecological consideration was made for the planning and construction of the Garden. But now to alter it to a Disneyland kind of structure is very much likely to harm the flora and fauna around that place. So many birds from many countries are regular visitors of the nearby Ranganathittu. The visits from these birds also will get affected and may be we would lose these visitors for ever.
3. Approach: If one is building such a wonderful place as Disneyland, the approach to that place should be good and easily accessible for people. It is not easy to reach the Brindavan Gardens with the present road conditions. Most of the time they are not motorable. Besides there are so many fields around that place so it is difficult to widen them without harming the cultivation/ fertile lands.
4. Pricing: The planners seem not to be aware of the Disneyland tickets. It is around 200 dollars which comes to about Rs.14,000 at the present rate of exchange. Do the planners have the heart to charge that amount from the public? Do our planners have the wherewithal to hire staff and keep it clean as it happens in Disneyland? It is not long before the planners blame the public by saying the public make it dirty.

But in our country planners have always passed on the blame on to the public be it roads or public places or even the economy. One must understand that Disneyland is kept clean at all times because they hire so much of staff who do a clean job. The supervisors also do their job well. And new technologies are used to make the place attractive, tidy and people-friendly.

5. Parking: Even for Dasara celebrations people had a hard time to park when they visited Brindavan Gardens. If the planners are thinking of Disneyland kind of monument, the need for parking will be even greater. Once again the area around the proposed place consists of fertile land so we will be jeopardising the already depleted lands for farming.
6. Cost of the Monument: Do we need to spend so much money on this project? When our farmers are committing suicide for their pathetic condition, our planners want to spend Rs.2,000 crores on this project.

The bottom line: If the planners insist upon a Disneyland kind of monument to be made during their tenure, please do not meddle with the existing Brindavan Gardens.

– Dr. V.S. Srinath, Mysuru, 16.11.2018

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