At Lalbagh, Bengaluru groups call for full rollback of park-land amendment

More than 200 people formed a human chain around Lalbagh Rock on Thursday, asking the Karnataka government not to permit even part of Bengaluru’s parks to be diverted for public infrastructure.

Under the banner “Not 5%, Not one inch. Leave our parks alone”, resident associations and civil society groups submitted a letter to Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar seeking the rollback of the amendment that would allow up to 5% of park land to be alienated for public projects. The State recently cleared the Bill allowing up to 5% of park land for public projects.

Kathyayini Chamaraj, executive trustee of CIVIC, said a law intended to preserve parks should not enable their alienation. The coalition has asked that every infrastructure proposal first examine alternatives that do not use existing green spaces, and that proposals affecting parks go through public consultation and environmental, social, health and wellbeing assessments.

The group cited research it said found Bengaluru’s parks were on average 2.23°C cooler than surrounding areas, with a cooling effect extending up to 347 metres. It also pointed to uneven access: nearly 28% of the city’s wards have no park or only one, it said.