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Bengaluru residents gathered at Lalbagh on Sunday, August 30, to oppose a recent amendment allowing portions of government park land to be diverted for public infrastructure. The protest, titled ‘Walk in Lalbagh. Walk for Lalbagh’, brought together citizen groups, Resident Welfare Associations, environmental campaigners and pro-Kannada organisations.
BJP MPs Tejasvi Surya, Shobha Karandlaje and CN Manjunath, along with Lalbagh and Cubbon Park Expert Committee chief adviser Yellappa Reddy, also participated in the walk.
The programme began at 7 am from Lalbagh’s West Gate. Organisers had appealed to walkers and residents to join the campaign against the Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which was passed by both Houses of the Karnataka legislature last week.
Participants raised slogans as they moved through Lalbagh, while some sat and lay down on the park’s iconic Peninsular Gneiss rock.
Shobha and BJP MP PC Mohan were among those who lay on the rock as protesters reiterated their demand that the park remain untouched. The Peninsular Gneiss, an ancient geological formation believed to be around three billion years old, was repeatedly highlighted by participants as part of Lalbagh’s ecological and geological heritage.
What was the protest about
Residents are opposing the amendment that changed the Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) Act, 1975, which governs protected government parks and gardens, including Lalbagh and Cubbon Park. It allows the government to alienate up to 5% of the total area of a park or garden for specified public utility projects.
The amendment permits such land to be sold, leased, gifted, exchanged, mortgaged or otherwise transferred. The provision is restricted to projects undertaken by government departments, statutory authorities, government companies or local authorities.
The legislation also establishes an evaluation mechanism headed by the Additional Chief Secretary, along with designated government officials and experts from relevant fields. Any proposal to use park land is required to be assessed before being recommended to the state government.
The 5% ceiling includes land that may already have been alienated, meaning previous diversions would count towards the overall limit. However, routine development carried out by the Horticulture Department for its administrative and allied requirements is excluded from the ceiling.
The amendment also creates a separate legal route for using limited portions of Horticulture Department farms for core horticulture projects. These can include post-processing facilities, cold storage, production of improved varieties and agro-based industries intended to benefit local farmers, provided reasons are recorded to establish public interest and necessity.
The provision has nevertheless triggered strong opposition among Bengaluru citizens, particularly because of its potential connection with the proposed 17-km Hebbal-Central Silk Board tunnel road.
The proposed tunnel corridor is expected to pass through Lalbagh. Protesters said around 5 km of the proposed route could pass through the park and cited a survey indicating that about 5 acres of Lalbagh land could be required for the project. Other estimates cited during the campaign put the requirement at around 6 acres temporarily and 1 acre permanently.
The amendment was passed amid protests by the BJP and JD(S) in the legislature over demands for the resignation of Minister B Nagendra. The Opposition parties have approached Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot, asking him not to give his assent.
The protesters said their opposition was not limited to the proposed tunnel. They want the 5% provision itself withdrawn, arguing that it could eventually enable commercial or other forms of development within Bengaluru’s remaining green spaces.
‘Green spaces at risk’
Lalbagh, which covers about 240 acres, became the centre of the campaign. Protesters argued that allowing 5% of the park to be diverted could make nearly 12 acres available for such use.
Their campaign message was: “Not 5%. Not 1%. Not one inch of Lalbagh.”
Several thousand people took part in the walk, according to organisers and BJP leaders. Tejasvi Surya said more than 5,000 people had gathered for what he described as an organic, citizen-led movement.
“More than 5,000 people have gathered today organically in Lalbagh to oppose the tunnel road project and the 5% diversion of park land amendment bill that the state government has introduced and passed,” Tejasvi said speaking to the media.
He accused the government of putting Bengaluru’s green spaces at risk in the name of development.
“It is extremely unfortunate that the state thinks it can gobble up precious green space for real estate projects, commercial projects in a city like Bengaluru, where every inch of green space is crucial to protect the quality of life of citizens,” he said.
“It is unfortunate that the state, which is supposed to protect the green spaces, is actually becoming the biggest threat,” Tejasvi added. He described the campaign as a “non-political” and “citizen-led movement” focused on protecting Bengaluru’s green spaces.
Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje said the campaign had implications beyond Lalbagh. “It is not just about saving Lalbagh; it is about saving our Bengaluru and saving Karnataka,” she said.
Shobha criticised the manner in which the amendment was passed and alleged that it would weaken protections for green spaces. “A draconian bill has been introduced in Karnataka – one that was passed without any discussion,” she said.
She further accused the state government of viewing open spaces primarily through their potential for development. “The current administration in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly is a real estate government; whenever they see open land, they see only real estate, they see money,” she said.
Shobha said she had approached the Governor over the legislation and warned that opponents were prepared to escalate the matter if necessary.
“We met the Governor and wrote to him, and he returned the bill. The government is now considering not reintroducing it; otherwise, we are prepared to take the matter all the way to the President,” she added.
She had earlier written to Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot, asking him to withhold assent to the amendment. In her representation, she argued that allowing the government to divert up to 5% of a park or garden on the recommendation of a high-level committee weakened the statutory protection available to public green spaces.
Calls to also drop proposed 17-km tunnel corridor
Yellappa Reddy and others from citizen groups also stressed that Lalbagh was not merely an open tract of land that could be made available for construction. They argued that its greenery, biodiversity and geological significance made any diversion a serious environmental concern.
The Lalbagh Walkers Association has also opposed the tunnel project, citing concerns over its possible impact on the park’s greenery, biodiversity and geological heritage. In recent weeks, citizens have held human chains, signature campaigns and other symbolic protests around the park.
The protesters also questioned the need for the tunnel road and demanded that the government disclose its expected financial benefits. They said that if the government could establish how much revenue or economic benefit the project would generate, citizens would be willing to raise the required amount themselves and pay it in instalments rather than permit Lalbagh land to be used.
They also referred to an earlier visit to Lalbagh by then Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, during which they said he had assured them that not even an inch of the park would be taken. Protesters questioned whether that assurance still held.
The protesters also alleged that about 3 acres had already been taken for an earlier short tunnel project. They demanded that this project and the proposed 17-km tunnel corridor be dropped along with the 5% diversion provision. They said they had no personal demands from the Chief Minister and would even honour him if the government dropped the plans.
Some participants claimed that police had been deployed and notices issued in connection with the demonstrations. They said they would continue protesting if efforts to protect Lalbagh were treated as an offence.
