Open Letter to the Govt: Free the Commons at Cubbon
- Team Heritage Beku
- May 13
- 6 min read
13 May 2026
Open Letter to the Govt: Free the Commons at Cubbon
The Soul of Bengaluru is Not for Sale: A Manifesto Against the Commodification of Cubbon Park
This is in response to the article in UdayVani proposing an entry fee for Cubbon Park .
As a collective of environmentalists, civic activists, and heritage custodians, we stand in resolute opposition to the proposed introduction of entrance fees at Sri Chamarajendra Park (Cubbon Park). This is not merely a debate about a nominal ticket price; it is a fundamental struggle for the identity of our city, the health of our ecosystems, and the integrity of our democracy.
For over 150 years, Cubbon Park has served as the egalitarian heart of Bengaluru. To put a price on its gates is to dismantle the very concept of "The Commons" and betray the trust of the citizens to whom this land belongs. As per earlier requests made by Heritage Beku , we need to renew our efforts now to definitively declare Cubbon Park as a Biodiversity Heritage Site .
1. A Park is Not a Museum: The Crisis of the Commons
There is a critical distinction that the administration seems to have overlooked: Cubbon Park is not a botanical garden; it is a People’s Park.
Unlike Lalbagh, which functions as a curated botanical repository for scientific study, Cubbon Park is a vital civic lung. As noted by Alyia Krumbiegel, great-granddaughter of the legendary G.H. Krumbiegel, a park is a living, breathing space meant for the worker seeking shade, the student seeking quiet, and the elderly seeking health.
The Barrier of Entry: Imposing a fee transforms a Citizen into a Customer.
The Death of Inclusivity: Where will the Aam Janta—the daily wage earners, the street vendors, and the marginalized families—go to escape the stifling heat and concrete of an exploding city?
A Dangerous Precedent: If we allow the "pay-to-breathe" model here, we signal that nature is a luxury for the elite rather than a fundamental right.
2. Ecological Integrity vs. Administrative Inertia
The justification for entry fees—purportedly to fund security and maintenance—is a factual fallacy. The issues plaguing the park are not a result of a lack of revenue potential, but a failure of governance and resource allocation.
Forgotten Promises: On October 27, 2025, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar categorically promised the public that no entry fee would be charged. He acknowledged that the park’s budget (currently ₹8 crore) needs enhancement and promised a grant of ₹5 crore.
The Staffing Paradox: It is unsustainable to claim a security crisis when the existing park staff are diverted for census duties, leaving the "green jewel" both unmanned and unguarded.
Sustainability over Commercialization: We do not need ticket booths; we need:
A comprehensive water table study to preserve the park's longevity.
The designation of the park as a Biodiversity Site.
Strict enforcement of the traffic ban to reduce pollution and vibration damage to heritage structures.
"The true success of a public garden is not how controlled it becomes, but how deeply it is loved, respected and shared by ordinary people." — Alyia Krumbiegel
3. Democracy and the Right to the City
Public spaces are the bedrock of a functioning democracy. They are the only places where people from all walks of life intersect without the mediation of commerce.
By gating Cubbon Park, the government is effectively "punishing the many for the behaviour of a few." Security concerns and public behavior issues should be addressed through better management, CCTV infrastructure, and respectful enforcement, not by financial exclusion.
4. Our Demand: A Call for Accountability
We call upon the Department of Horticulture and the Government of Karnataka to honour the Deputy CM's public commitment. We suggest :
Zero Entry Fees: Maintain the park as a free, open-access public space in perpetuity.
Budgetary Transparency: Utilize the promised ₹5 crore grant for immediate infrastructure and staffing needs.
Heritage Protection: Cease all commercial expansion and prioritize the restoration of the Bandstand and existing historical precincts.
Community Governance: Establish a management committee that includes civic groups (like Heritage Beku and CPWA) to ensure the park is managed for people, not for profit.
Cubbon Park is our shared heritage. It was never intended to intimidate or separate; it was built to connect. We will not allow the gates of our 'Garden City' to be locked against its own people.
Signed,
The Guardians of the Commons
Additional Note:
The Green Commons: Why Cubbon Park Must Remain Free to All
As an alliance of environmentalists, heritage custodians, and civic advocates, we are profoundly concerned by recent proposals to introduce entrance fees at Sri Chamarajendra Park (Cubbon Park). This proposal is not merely a budgetary adjustment; it is a direct assault on the democratic fabric of Bengaluru and the fundamental right of every citizen to access nature.
Below is our detailed analysis of the implications this move holds for our ecosystems, our heritage, and our civic identity.
I. Voices of the People: The Promise of Accessibility
Leaders and descendants of the park's own legacy have been clear: Cubbon Park is a public trust, not a commercial asset.
Deputy CM DK Shivakumar (Oct 2025): "Cubbon Park is open to the public. Anyone can visit... There is no proposal to collect an entry fee... This is a People’s Park." Source: Bangalore Mirror/Udayavani
Alyia Krumbiegel (G/granddaughter of GH Krumbiegel): "A botanical garden exists for study... but a public park is something far more democratic. A park belongs to the people. It is where children run freely... Bengaluru earned the name 'Garden City' because green spaces were woven into everyday life, not locked away from it."
Priya Chetty-Rajagopal (Heritage Beku): "Where will poor people go? This is so undemocratic... I disagree with any proposal to charge fees, because it is the only people’s park."
II. Global & National Standards: Great Cities Don't Charge for Breath
The world's greatest urban centers treat their central parks as "The Commons"—spaces that are essential for public health and are funded through taxes, not tickets. To charge for Cubbon Park would place Bengaluru outside the league of globally respected, livable cities.
Park Name | Location | Status | Heritage/Size |
Lodi Gardens | Delhi, India | Free | |
The Maidan | Kolkata, India | Free | |
Central Park | New York, USA | Free | |
Hyde Park | London, UK | Free | |
Tiergarten | Berlin, Germany | Free |
III. The Philosophers of the Commons
Global conservationists and urban planners have long argued that free access to nature is a prerequisite for a healthy society.
Frederick Law Olmsted (Designer of Central Park): He believed that the beauty of a park should be "the beauty of the fields... of the green pastures" and that it must provide a "sense of enlarged freedom" to those escaping the "cramped, confined, and controlling circumstances of the streets." Charging a fee reimposes those "controlling circumstances" at the very gate of relief.
Jane Jacobs (Urban Visionary): In The Death and Life of Great American Cities, Jacobs argued that public parks are "brilliant manifestations of democracy" only because they are owned and usable by anyone. Ticketing creates a "resource-sucking dead zone" by filtering out the very diversity that makes a park safe and vibrant.
John Muir (Conservationist): "Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where Nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul alike."
IV. Implications on Ecosystems and Democracy
1. The Erosion of the Commons
When a public space is ticketed, the visitor is no longer a Citizen with a right; they become a Customer with an expectation. This shifts the management's focus from ecological preservation to "customer satisfaction," often leading to unnecessary "beautification" projects (paving, kiosks, lighting) that harm biodiversity.
2. Ecological Exclusion
Cubbon Park is a critical Micro-Climate Regulator. If the socio-economically disadvantaged are priced out, they are disproportionately affected by the "Urban Heat Island" effect. Democracy dictates that the cooling effects of 300 acres of canopy should not be a "premium service."
3. Administrative Failure vs. Civic Punishment
The argument for fees to fund "security and CCTV" is a redirection of responsibility.
The Budget Exists: The DCM promised an additional ₹5 crore grant.
Staffing Shortfall: It is a governance failure to send park staff on census duty and then ask citizens to pay for the resulting lack of security.
Conclusion
Cubbon Park is the soul of Bengaluru. To gate it is to tell the worker, the student, and the ordinary family that they are no longer welcome in the heart of their own city. We demand that the government honor its October 2025 commitment: Keep the gates open, keep the air free, and keep the democracy of our "Garden City" intact.
References:
Udayavani News: Cubbon Park Entry Fee Proposal
Central Park Conservancy: The Purpose of the Park
Heritage Beku: Statements on Public Commons preservation.
Comments