Bal Bhavan to upgrade hotel and revamp toy train ticketing
The Bal Bhavan Society and the Department of Tourism will introduce healthy food options and batch-wise ticketing at the Cubbon Park campus.
The Bal Bhavan Society and the Department of Tourism will begin upgrading the existing hotel at the Bal Bhavan campus in Cubbon Park this week, according to The Hindu. The initiative aims to provide healthy food options for children and adults visiting the site.
Bal Bhavan Society Chairman B.R. Naidu said that approximately ₹2 crore will be used to improve the kitchen and the hotel. He noted that the current Mayura Hotel, run by the Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC), serves only three items including noodles, parotta and gobi manchuri, which contain maida.
Under the new plan, the sale of processed foods on the campus will stop. The updated menu will feature millet-based items, fresh juices and fruits served directly from farmers to consumers, Naidu said.
The society is also planning to introduce a batch-wise ticketing system for the Putani Railu toy train to manage crowds. Naidu stated that tickets will be issued every 15 minutes because the ride can only accommodate 60 members and faces high demand on weekends and holidays.
Currently, the entry fee for the park is ₹50 for adults and ₹20 for children. The toy train and boat rides also cost ₹50 for adults and ₹20 for children, with visitors required to purchase these tickets separately.
To reduce waiting times for the toy train, Bal Bhavan has recently added new amusements such as the dragon train and Columbus. Naidu said these options allow parents and children to choose different activities instead of waiting for long periods for the train ride.