Citizens Form Human Chain at Lalbagh Against Move to Alienate 5% Park Land

More than 200 citizens, resident associations, and civil society groups gathered at Lalbagh on Thursday to oppose Karnataka’s move to permit the alienation of up to 5% of park land for public infrastructure projects. Demonstrators formed a human chain around the Lalbagh Rock, demanding that Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar roll back the proposed amendment.

Protesting under the banner “Not 5%, Not one inch. Leave our parks alone,” the coalition stated that Bengaluru cannot afford to lose any portion of its existing green spaces amid rising temperatures and shrinking urban cover. The group formally submitted a letter to the Chief Minister opposing the amendment to the Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) Act, 1975.

Civil society representatives argued that the amendment contradicts the core purpose of the original law. “The law, the Government Parks (Preservation) Act, 1975, is for preserving parks. The government cannot bring an amendment to alienate 5% of the park, which goes against the very objective of the parent Act,” said Kathyayini Chamaraj, Executive Trustee of CIVIC.

The coalition urged the state government to completely withdraw the amendment and safeguard all public parks and gardens from diversion, conversion, fragmentation, or construction for non-ecological uses. They also demanded that all infrastructure proposals be required to explore non-green alternatives, alongside conducting transparent public consultations and comprehensive environmental, social, and health assessments.

Environmental advocates emphasized that public green spaces should be treated as vital natural infrastructure rather than vacant land. “Bengaluru is becoming hotter and more climate vulnerable, yet the Karnataka government is making it easier to take away one of the city’s most important forms of natural infrastructure,” said Selomi Garnaik, Climate and Energy campaigner at Greenpeace India. She urged the administration to view parks as essential environmental safeguards that help cool neighbourhoods and manage rainwater.

To highlight the ecological stakes, the coalition cited a study of 262 urban green spaces showing that parks are on average 2.23 degrees Celsius cooler than surrounding areas, with their cooling effect extending up to 347 metres outward. They also pointed to research by the Indian Institute for Human Settlements indicating that nearly 28% of Bengaluru's wards have either no park or only one park, warning that any further reduction would deepen disparities in access to green spaces.