Bengaluru’s Jakkarayanakere may return to public use as playground

Nestled between a growing residential neighbourhood and the city’s transport hub, Jakkarayanakere, a site steeped in history, is once again at the centre of plans for transformation. The site was once a lake, which has lost all characters of a waterbody decades ago and was being used as a playground, before it was reinvented for Namma Metro and later Bengaluru City Police.

The site is currently being used by the Police Department, which plans to convert it into a parade ground and police quarters. However, local residents are demanding that it be opened to the public and developed into a playground.

Discussions are under way between MLA for Gandhinagar Dinesh Gundu Rao and the Home Department, but a final decision is yet to be taken. Meanwhile, the department has cleaned up the land and undertaken plantation work. However, confusion over the subsequent transfer of the land after 2007 has led to a series of discussions to resolve the issue.

Paucity of playgrounds

Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Rao said there was a severe shortage of open playgrounds in the city and that Jakkarayanakere, which was once a playground, could serve as an alternative for residents in the area.

Mr. Rao said the ground was originally used as a playground before it was handed over to the metro for casting works in 2007. The metro, he said, subsequently handed it over to the Police Department as compensation for land acquired elsewhere. The police then converted it into a dumping yard for seized vehicles.

“We have held meetings, and the Home Minister has said that alternative land for the police will be identified. The plan is to develop this into a well-equipped playground,” Mr. Rao said.

The residents said developing the site as a playground would provide much-needed open space, particularly for people living in and around Srirampura, Rajajinagar and neighbouring areas.

Compensated land

According to sources, when the metro required land near M.G. Road, it acquired the Police Department-owned B.R.V. Ground and compensated the department by allotting Jakkarayanakere.

In 2022, the Karnataka High Court directed the Police Department to remove vehicles from the premises of police stations across the city. Subsequently, the police shifted the vehicles to Jakkarayanakere, triggering public backlash.

The site also began witnessing frequent fires. In one such incident last year, nearly 100 vehicles were destroyed, prompting discussions on moving the vehicles back to police stations. Meanwhile, Mr. Rao intervened and took up the residents’ demand to restore the site as a playground.

Parade ground

The police sources familiar with the developments said the department did not have adequate land to establish the City Armed Reserve (CAR) West Division. There was also a need to construct residential quarters for police personnel.

“Many police personnel are unable to afford the rising rents in the city, and we need to create facilities for them. We also need a parade ground and space for the CAR. Jakkarayanakere would be an ideal location,” an officer said.

Mr. Rao said that at a recent meeting, Home Minister Priyank Kharge had agreed to explore the possibility of identifying alternative land for the Police Department elsewhere.

“We have kept Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) Commissioner M. Maheshwar Rao in the loop and asked the authorities to identify land for the Police Department,” Mr. Rao said.

Once a lake

Jakkarayanakere was once a sprawling lake spread across several acres. The lake gradually dried up, and with urbanisation, residential neighbourhoods and transport infrastructure came up in the area.

The site is also associated with one of Bengaluru’s worst fire accidents. In 1981, a fire broke out at a circus set up on the northeastern side of Jakkarayanakere, killing 88 people and injuring 174.

Over the years, the lake has transformed into dry land, with a portion of it now being used as a playground.