Namma Lal Bagh: Parks, Not Parkings

From 1760 to the present, Lal Bagh has been home to more than 1,000 species of plants. Over the years, this green space in the heart of the city has acquired the subcontinent's largest collection of rare plants. All set up around a 3,000 million years old Lal Bagh Rock - one of the oldest rock formations on earth.

Unfortunately, the current management thinks that apart from all the history and the bio-diversity, this heritage site needs a 5 acre PARKING LOT! According to them, this PARK is incomplete without a PARKING!

It has to stop: Please, SIGN the petition here

The story for far:

The management of Lal Bagh Garden has decided that it would be good to provide parking for 500 cars in the vicinity of the garden to supplement the existing parking area. To create such a huge space, they have chosen 5 acres of the most fertile lands available in the garden. Land that was previously planned to be used for planting medicinal plants. 500 cars vs. various species of medicinal plant in a botanical garden, take your pick!

The plan to convert the area into a parking lot does not just require the land but also asphalt cover, ruining any chances of re-using the land for any plantations later on. Nature’s soil vs. Man-made roads

When questioned about the impact on nature and biodiversity in the garden, the management has given the requirement of parking space for Lal Bagh’s famous flower shows, as an excuse. While such parking space would make it easy for visitors to park their cars during such events, it would literally be useless during regular days. Lal Bagh only runs a few events of that scale a year for anywhere between 15 to 45 days since too much tourism poses a risk to such rare and delicate species. Hence, 30 days of parking convenience vs. More bio-diverse botanical garden.

Solution:

The protests are not against providing parking facility but the specific choice of space so close to the flora collection that makes Lal Bagh such an important piece of land for our city, this state and the country. While parking facilities can be established outside the garden at walking distance, it would be impossible to regenerate this space of land which is dedicated to be the home to nature, not VEHICLES!

Show your support and ask the Horticulture Minister to listen to you at: http://www.greenpeacex.in/petitions/we-need-parks-not-parking-save-lal-bagh-3