65-acre tree park planned on NGEF land near Indiranagar; first phase to open in March
Bengaluru:
A 65-acre tree park will be developed on the former State-owned NGEF factory land at Baiyappanahalli, with the first phase expected to be opened to the public in March, Industries Minister MB Patil said on Saturday.
The project will come up on a portion of the 119-acre NGEF campus in east Bengaluru and is being implemented in four phases at an estimated cost of ₹37.75 crore. The minister, who inspected the site along with senior officials, said ₹11.5 crore had already been released for Phase 1 works, while Phase 1A is expected to be completed within six months.
According to Patil, the site currently has around 8,500 trees of various species, with their scientific names displayed across the campus. He said no tree would be felled for the project, adding that a scientific assessment would be carried out to determine the future management of eucalyptus trees on the premises.
Patil said structural assessments conducted by scientists from the Indian Institute of Science had found the existing administrative buildings and industrial sheds to be sound. These structures will be refurbished and repurposed for public use. A multi-level parking facility with capacity for 5,000 to 7,000 vehicles will also be developed on 4.5 acres of factory-owned land located outside the main compound.
The project also envisages two convention centres with seating capacity of at least 15,000 each, to be developed within existing electric motor sheds. An incubation centre for startups, named ‘Innoverse’, will be set up by the government-run KITS, while the IT-BT Department will develop a ‘Technology Innovation Museum’ at an estimated cost of ₹100 crore.
The proposed tree park will additionally house a sculpture park and an NGEF museum. Patil clarified that no shopping mall would be permitted within the premises, but a large amphitheatre would be built to host cultural and public events. He said the project would serve as a major green lung for east Bengaluru and described it as a space that could eventually surpass Cubbon Park and in scale and design.
Only a small portion of land required for the entrance gate falls under the jurisdiction of Namma Metro, and discussions would be held to secure it, the minister said.
Phase 1 of the project will include an entrance plaza, elevated walkways, cycling tracks, water cascades, fountains, a food court, children’s play areas, pet-friendly zones and other basic amenities. Phase 1B, with an outlay of ₹26.23 crore, will add an observation tower, additional walkways, renovation of the administrative block and an open amphitheatre.
Under Phase 2, the former factory sheds will be redeveloped into a sports hub, arts and culture centre, community hall and food court through a public–private partnership.
Senior officials including Industries Department Principal Secretary Selvakumar, Commissioner Gunjan Krishna, BMRCL Managing Director Dr J. Ravishankar, MSIL Managing Director Manoj Kumar, Infrastructure Department Secretary Vishal, IT-BT Department Secretary Dr N. Manjula and technical advisor Arvind Galagali were present during the inspection.