Rs. 500 and Rs. 2000 being charged as fine in Lal Bagh and Bangalore Palace respectively for clicking pictures without permission.
Tourists are charged Rs. 500 or more as fine for clicking pictures in photo-restricted areas like Lal Bagh and Bangalore Palace. Authorities are not willing to lift the ban. From February 2018 to October 2022the authorities have charged more than 20 people in Lal Bagh for violating the rule.
Deputy Director of the Horticulture Department of Lal Bagh, Kusuma G said, “Photography was allowed in Lal Bagh. People used to shoot their pre-weddings and do other photo shoots as well. But we started receiving lot of complaints that people are changing clothes in the garden and people are feeling embarrassed. After listening to multiple complaints we banned photography in Lal Bagh. But we do allow photography for professionals but for that, you will have to take permission one week prior. She also said that the authorities first warn people and then fine them
T. Aruna, a tourist at Lal Bagh said, “Photography should be allowed. We visit a place only once, it is a part of our memory. Memories can fade but photos can’t.”
There is no such law in India that prohibits photography in public places. There is no specific definition that talks about photography in public places being prohibited. Another tourist R. A. Naveen said, “photos do no harm, and I believe if the peacefulness of a place is maintained then the authorities should allow the public to click pictures. There is no reason to ban photography unless the authorities have anything to preserve or hide from everyone.”
Naman Shah, a tourist at Bangalore Palace, who was about to enter the palace but was refused as he used his camera said, “It is disappointing to know that I can’t click pictures here. They allow phones to be used but not DSLR cameras. I do not see the logic behind it. But there is nothing that can be done.”
Lalbagh has many species for the visitors. They cannot click photograps because of the prohibition.
Michael Ludgrove, the curator of Bangalore Palace said, “We banned photography because there was an incident where the palace had to face bad publicity.”.”
He also said Bangalore Palace is a private palace, it is not owned by the government and every expense of the palace is looked after by the owners, so to avoid extra maintenance, they restricted photography. In fact, people who visit the palace do not maintain the serenity of the palace so restricting photography seemed the ideal way.
Jatin Kapoor, a tourism expert said, “Photography should not be banned for public as it is a way to capture memories that can be cherished in future. The authorities should allow people to capture the photos.”
