Park amendment bill can be discussed again in the Assembly: Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar
Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has offered to review a controversial amendment bill that would allow the alienation of park land for public infrastructure projects. This follows widespread protests from environmental groups and citizens concerned about the preservation of green spaces like Lalbagh.
Why it matters
The situation illustrates the tension between urban development needs and environmental conservation in rapidly growing Indian cities.
In what could be read as a note of reconciliation, following protests against the controversial amendment that allows alienation of up to 5% of park and garden land for public infrastructure in Karnataka, Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Tuesday (September 1, 2026) said the proposal could be reviewed and discussed again in the Karnataka Legislature Assembly.
The Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) (Amendment) Bill, 2026, was passed in both Houses of the Legislature on August 24, 2026, amidst Opposition protests over the inclusion of B. Nagendra, accused in the Valmiki Corporation scam into the cabinet, without any discussion.
The Bill aims to facilitate the tunnel road project to take over an acre of Lalbagh land, sources said. This has been followed by protests by environmental groups, citizen organisations and Bengaluru BJP MPs. Thousands of citizens gathered at Lalbagh on August 30 to protest against the amendment bill.
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