Karnataka passes Bill allowing use of 5% park land for public projects

The Karnataka Assembly on Monday, August 24, passed the Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) (Amendment) Bill, 2026, allowing the state government to alienate up to 5 per cent of the total area of a park or garden for public utility projects.

The Bill amends the Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) Act, 1975, and allows the government to use a limited portion of park land for public purposes. The provision applies to government departments and companies, statutory bodies and local authorities.

Under the amendment, the government can sell, lease, transfer, gift, exchange, mortgage or otherwise alienate park land based on recommendations of a high-level committee, subject to an absolute ceiling of 5 per cent of the total area.

Any such proposal must first be examined by a committee headed by the additional chief secretary before being recommended to the government.

The 5 per cent ceiling will include land that has previously been alienated, ensuring that the overall limit is not exceeded. However, developments undertaken by the Horticulture Department for its own administrative and allied purposes will remain outside the restriction.

The Bill also provides for limited use of land within horticulture farms for core horticulture projects, including post-processing facilities, cold storage units, production of improved varieties and agro-based industries directly benefiting local farming communities. Such projects must have recorded reasons establishing public interest and necessity.

The legislation has drawn criticism from BJP leaders. Leader of Opposition R Ashoka alleged that the amendment was being brought to accommodate the Adani Group for the proposed Bengaluru tunnel project.

“Five per cent of Lalbagh means over 10 acres of land. The government is now eating into park land too. Bengaluru’s Garden City tag will be gone,” Ashoka said.

The Bill also cites earlier instances involving the use of land at Indira Gandhi Musical Fountain Park for road widening, Lalbagh for the Metro project and portions of Cubbon Park for civic infrastructure and parking.