Nurseries blooming no more - Citizen Matters

The residential hub of Jayanagar was once known for its nurseries. But where have all those nurseries gone today? Is the era of neighbourhood nursery over?

The residential hub of Jayanagar was once known for its nurseries. But where have all those nurseries gone today? Is the era of neighbourhood nursery over?

As you take the one-odd kilometre walk from Siddapura all the way up to NIMHANS, you can see a number of nurseries on your way, interspersed with buildings and houses. But, if you were

taking a stroll down that path five years ago, all you could see were nurseries. The nurseries took up more than 200 acres of land then. But today the number has dwindled down to a mere 20

acres. Thanks to high-rise buildings and the real estate boom, things have changed. Jayanagar which once boasted of about 200-300 nurseries, today barely has 60-70 nurseries, according to

the Nurserymen Cooperative Society Limited, a wing of the State Department of Horticulture.

The Ramdas nursery near Ashoka Pillar is run by Govindaraj. They make anything between Rs. 3000-7000 per month.”Business has become dull. Many builders are taking over nursery land”, he

says. The Ramdas Nursery is one of the few nurseries left in the area. These privately owned businesses are fast vanishing. The green belts of Siddapura village and the rest of Jayanagar

have slowly disappeared. Dr G K Vasanthkumar, Director, Department of Horticulture, says there is very little that can be done to stop urban growth. “We do give them subsidies. But most are

moving to the outskirts of Bangalore”, he says.

BLG Rao, coordinator, First Block Residents for a Cleaner Environment (FORCE), is one of the few people who fought for the cause of nurseries. It is because of the increase in the cost of

living, he says. “Real estate people offer big money to these owners and use the land to construct multi-storeyed buildings”, Rao says. He explains that nurseries were developed on

agricultural land. Since one cannot sell agricultural land, it is converted to non-agricultural land, which is permissible. This land is then sold in exchange for a lump sum.

About four years ago, Rao approached the then BMP Commissioner, MR Sreenivasa Murthy, who said that he was unable to do anything as there was nothing illegal in the entire process. He later

spoke to another BBMP Commissioner, K Jairaj, who issued an order saying permission should not be given to nursery owners to convert their land and sell it. But that hasn’t stopped them.

Since these are privately-run nurseries, the owners are free to use the land as they wish. Says Prakash, owner of Sri Mallika Nursery in Jayanagar, “We have had this nursery for more than 60

years. It has been passed down several generations. The government isn’t doing anything for us. We have taken a loan from a bank to run this place”.

Most of the owners of private nurseries are members of the Nurserymen Cooperative Society Limited. Secretary of the society, M K Jayarame Gowda, says the reason for nurseries shutting shop

is because of labour problems, escalation of land prices in the area and marketing problems. He says, “We do not have a proper nursery policy or regulation”. He suggests that the government

should set up nursery parks in different zones just like IT parks and allow nursery professionals to run units here. On their part, the society can help the owners with marketing, but say

that there is a lack of funds and land. “When nurseries provide a congenial environment, why not develop them?” he asks.

Dr S V Hittalmani, Additional Director of Horticulture (Fruits), thinks otherwise. “It’s a process of evolution. Most of these owners are moving to the outskirts where they have farms. It’s

a good thing. Within the city there are water and labour problems. So we are letting them go”, he says. In the mid-90s, Dr Hittalmani, then serving as Joint Director (Development), led a

team to present a draft for the Karnataka State Private Nurseries Regulation Act to the government. But the act was never passed and remains in the form of a bill.

Dr Hittalmani says he proposed the Act in order to control the quality of plants and to regulate trading (as there was a lot of illegal trading in this sector). But the law ministry was

against the Act, saying it would restrict the nurserymen since they are financially backward. Though the government said it would be a form of harassment to the nurserymen, Dr Hittalmani

says there is a difference between regulation and harassment. Now, more than a decade later, as departments have changed, there are no plans to revive it.

Additional Director of Horticulture (Farms & Nursery), Dr K Ramakrishnappa says the Act would have only curbed the nurserymen. “I am against the Act. We have better plans for them. We want

to issue quality certificates like the ISO. This will help regulate trading”, he says.

But nurserymen, like Govinda who runs the Asha Nursery Home, say that the government does not do anything for them. “Land prices have gone up. That is why people end up selling their

nurseries”, he says.

While Gowda is optimistic that the nurseries in Jayanagar will not vanish altogether, Dr Hittlalmani says there is no need to shed tears as they are moving to the outskirts. Nurseries are no

longer relevant, he points out. “In the 1960s when the BDA wanted to acquire this nursery land to make an extension in Jayanagar, it was the department of horticulture that saved them. Even

if the Nursery Regulation Act doesn’t come into being, the National Seed Act 2004 will be revised by the Parliament in order to assure quality and regulate trading.” This Act forms the

basis of promotion and regulation of the seed industry.

I was not aware of Jaynagar’s lost identity on Nurseries. Pleased to learn the same. Also good to see people reacting both positive and negatively. In one way it is good to see nurseries

moving out of cities as they may not get adequate water and proper raw materials required inside the city. But also necessary measures needs to be taken on retaining the nurseries so that

they get a good living out of it. Article has come out very well. Great job! Keep going!

Had been musing about this; several nurseries on the Ring Road vanished as J P Nagar developed. So the article really resonated for me! Thank you. The best of the nurseries, however,

continues to be the Lalbagh nursery. You can get an incredible variety of plants there.

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