Karnataka Passes Park Land Bill to Aid Projects Like Hebbal Tunnel Road

The Karnataka Legislative Assembly and Council on Monday passed the Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) (Amendment) Bill, 2026, facilitating infrastructure projects including the proposed 17.1-km Bengaluru North-South Twin Tunnel Road connecting Hebbal with Central Silk Board Junction.

The legislation was among ten Bills tabled and passed without debate as opposition BJP and JD(S) members protested inside and outside the House, demanding the resignation of Minister B. Nagendra over an alleged embezzlement case concerning the Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation.

The amended law permits up to 5% of park land to be sold, leased, gifted, exchanged, or mortgaged for public utility projects undertaken by government departments, statutory authorities, government companies, or local bodies. If enacted, the law could potentially allow up to 5% of the land at Lalbagh Botanical Garden to be utilised for such infrastructure initiatives.

The proposal has drawn strong opposition from environmentalists, citizen groups, and BJP Members of Parliament from Bengaluru.

To oversee the utilisation of park spaces, the Bill establishes an evaluation mechanism headed by the Additional Chief Secretary, alongside designated officers and domain experts. This panel is tasked with assessing proposals for using park and garden land before submitting recommendations to the government.

The legislation stipulates that the 5% ceiling accounts for land that was previously alienated. Routine development carried out by the Horticulture Department for its own administrative and allied purposes will remain outside the cap. Furthermore, the amendment provides a legal framework to use small portions of horticulture farms for post-processing facilities, cold-storage units, production of improved crop varieties, and agro-based industries to benefit local farmers, provided reasons establishing public interest and necessity are formally recorded.

The Bill cited past instances where park areas were diverted for public infrastructure and road widening. These include 1,223 square metres of the Indira Gandhi Musical Fountain Park given to the erstwhile Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike for road widening, and 1,135 square metres of Lalbagh Gardens, along with part of its western compound wall, transferred to the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited for constructing an elevated metro station on R.V. Road. Portions of Cubbon Park used for metro and other infrastructure works were also noted.