Karnataka: Assembly passes Parks (Preservation) Amendment Bill

Bengaluru: The Legislative Assembly on Monday passed the Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) (Amendment) Bill, 2026, amid protests by BJP members. Deputy Chief Minister Dr G. Parameshwara moved the Bill for consideration, and it was passed without a detailed debate.

The amendment has triggered concern among citizens and environmentalists, who fear that the new provisions could lead to the diversion or transfer of portions of government park land for infrastructure and public utility projects. Under the proposed amendment, the state government will be empowered to permit the sale, lease, gift, exchange, mortgage or other forms of transfer of up to five per cent of the total area of a government park. However, such transfer will be permitted only for government departments, statutory authorities, government companies or local authorities for public utility projects.

The Bill proposes an official assessment mechanism headed by the Additional Chief Secretary of the government, along with designated officials and experts from relevant fields. The mechanism is intended to undertake a detailed assessment of the proposed land use before making any recommendation to the State Government.The five per cent ceiling will also include land that has already been transferred, with the stated objective of ensuring that the remaining natural ecosystem and green spaces are protected.

The amendment also excludes routine development works undertaken by the Department of Horticulture for administrative and allied purposes from these restrictions. It allows limited use of land in horticulture farms for projects such as post-harvest processing facilities, cold storage units, production of improved varieties and agri-based industries that directly benefit local farming communities. The Bill further requires documented reasons establishing public interest and essentiality before such land-use changes are permitted.

However, the amendment has raised strong objections among environmentalists and sections of the public, who argue that amending the Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) Act, 1975 could weaken protection for the city’s green spaces. The criticism comes at a time when the government and civic agencies are undertaking several initiatives to increase Bengaluru’s green cover. The Bengaluru Development Authority has reportedly planted around 15 lakh saplings, while the Greater Bengaluru Authority is conducting the ‘Bengaluru Hasiru’ campaign from August 15 to September 15, targeting the planting of around 64,000 saplings.

Environmentalists have questioned the rationale behind spending crores of rupees on increasing green cover while simultaneously creating a legal provision that could facilitate the transfer of portions of existing parks for infrastructure projects.

Bengaluru is already facing the consequences of rapid concretisation and declining green cover, they pointed out. According to commonly cited urban planning benchmarks, healthy cities require substantial accessible green space per capita. Environmental groups argue that Bengaluru’s existing green space falls considerably short of such requirements.

The Greater Bengaluru Authority area, which was earlier under the BBMP, has around 1,300 registered parks, but their combined area is estimated at only around 1,000 acres. Environmentalists contend that even after accounting for major green spaces such as Cubbon Park and Lalbagh, the city’s available green cover remains far below what is required for a rapidly expanding metropolitan region.

Opposing the amendment, Citizens for Citizens has reportedly launched a signature campaign, urging the government to reconsider provisions that could result in the diversion of park land. The debate over the amendment is therefore likely to intensify, with environmentalists demanding stronger safeguards to ensure that Bengaluru’s remaining public green spaces are protected from gradual encroachment or conversion in the name of infrastructure development.