Opposition to amend Park Act grows as writers urge repeal, Karandlaje writes to Governor
Opposition is mounting against a Karnataka government amendment that allows 5% of park land to be used for public purposes, with writers and activists calling it a threat to green spaces. Minister Shobha Karandlaje has formally requested the Governor to withhold assent to the bill.
Why it matters
The debate highlights the tension between urban development needs and the preservation of essential environmental infrastructure in rapidly growing cities.
Opposition to an Amendment to the Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) Act, 1975, is mounting as a forum of Kannada writers and progressive thinkers, on Tuesday, urged the State government to withdraw its Amendment.
Meanwhile, Shobha Karandlaje, Minister of State for Labour and Employment and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, wrote to Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot, requesting that he not accord assent to the Act, calling it a “regressive” and “draconian legislation”.
“The parent enactment was conceived to preserve government parks and gardens; the present Amendment, on the contrary, creates a sweeping statutory mechanism for their alienation and utilisation for purposes other than their preservation,” she said.
The Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) (Amendment) Bill, 2026, allows the alienation of 5% of parks and garden lands for public purposes.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in