The debate over Karnataka’s decision to allow up to 5% of government park and garden land for public infrastructure and the Hebbal–Central Silk Board tunnel road has intensified, leading citizens and environmental groups to form a human-chain protesting the amendment.
The Karnataka legislature passed the Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) (Amendment) Bill, 2026, on August 24, allowing up to 5% of the total area of a government park or garden to be alienated for specified public infrastructure and utility projects. After that, we do not need the park land,” he said on Wednesday. *The proposed amendment would: Allow up to 5% of the total area of a government park or garden to be alienated for specified public purposes. *Restrict the provision to government departments, statutory authorities, state-owned companies and local authorities. Because the proposed Hebbal–Central Silk Board tunnel road is expected to pass through a portion of Lalbagh, the timing has drawn particular attention in Bengaluru.
The Bill was passed by both Houses amid Opposition protests and without substantive debate. the state government has maintained that the provision is intended for public utility projects and comes with safeguards, including scrutiny by a high-level committee While critics have alleged that the amendment could help clear a legal hurdle for the project. Defending the amendment, Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has sought to downplay its impact on Lalbagh, saying the tunnel would pass under only a small corner of the botanical garden. “The tunnel road is proposed to pass beneath one small corner of Lalbagh. We may need park land temporarily for deploying machinery for six months to one year.