Parks bill not withdrawn completely: Parameshwara

Published - September 03, 2026 09:54 pm IST - Bengaluru

Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara indicated on Thursday that the government was not completely withdrawing the Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) (Amendment) Bill, 2026, stating that it would return in a different form.

“There has been public feedback on the Bill. We are also aware of the discussion in public, which will help us make a decision. We will review the clauses, especially those on lease/mortgage/sale and others, after which appropriate changes will be made,” he said.

The Bill would thus be amended and brought back to the Assembly, which means Lalbagh land could still be alienated through specific amendments to the legislation for the Tunnel Road project.

The Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) Act, 1975, has previously been amended six times to permit the use or alienation of specific portions of government parks for identified public projects.

Section 5 was created specifically for this purpose, but the previous amendments to the Act were project-specific, while the now-rolled-back Bill sought to allow the general diversion (5%) of park land.

If the government decides to continue the tunnel project with the same alignment, it could still acquire the required land by introducing a project-specific amendment.

Published - September 03, 2026 09:54 pm IST

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