‘Lalbagh is not a pizza’: Bengaluru residents rally against 5% park land rule

A N Yellappa Reddy, 90, a former government secretary for ecology and environment and activist, also participated in the campaign. Reddy recently wrote to Karnataka Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh expressing his concerns over the Bill.

“Five per cent itself requires an explanation. Who arrived at this figure? Was it recommended by horticulturists, ecologists, planners, or any independent expert body? Is there a scientific study showing that 5 per cent of an established park can be disturbed without affecting its ecological character?” Reddy wrote in the letter.

Bengaluru has around 1,353 parks, with the 240-acre Lalbagh Botanical Garden and the 197-acre Cubbon Park.

The Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) (Amendment) Act, 2026, allows the state “to alienate park land by way of sale, lease, gift, exchange, mortgage, or otherwise, up to an absolute limit of 5 per cent of the total area”.

While the government has said the law applies only to public utility projects undertaken by government departments, statutory authorities, government companies or local authorities, critics fear it could pave the way for real estate development and infrastructure projects, including roads through parks.