Bengaluru's Lalbagh Botanical Garden has been cluttered with garbage.
The Lalbagh Botanical Garden in Bengaluru is the city's oldest and largest green lung - a place that replenishes the crowded IT hub with fresh air. Close to the garden's main gate is an ancient rock topped by a tower built by the King Kempe Gowda centuries ago, to mark what he expected to be the limit of Bengaluru.
But this breathing space has borne the brunt of change. Mounds of garbage cover the area. Citizens are disappointed they don't have a clean, green place to themselves in the so-called "Garden City".
"I have been coming here for 25 years. The place was very beautiful. It could have been made into a place for people to meditate. Unfortunately, people are dumping garbage here. I used to hear the sound of frogs here but not anymore," Purushottam Dass, a retired bank official told NDTV.
Officials say they are segregating waste to clean up the place.
"They shouldn't dump garbage here. It is a park. It would be good if they make a pond or a lake here," another visitor said.
As citizens complain about the destruction of a clean space, authorities say they are trying to sort things out.
"There is no dumping of garbage. We have completely banned the plastics in the park. We are also composting fallen leaves and branches," Manohar, Assistant Horticultural Officer of Lalbagh told NDTV.
"A fire was seen at one place but it was not started by us. None of our people are deliberately burning anything. The area you pointed out will be looked at. Also, our cleaning staff, with the help of an NGO, will segregate waste. Paper and plastic will be sent outside," he added.