‘Open to suggestions’: Karnataka CM Shivakumar after protests over park land rule

Days after Bengaluru residents and BJP leaders protested in huge numbers against a legal amendment allowing the use of 5 per cent of the city's protected park land for public utilities, Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday said the government would revisit the decision.

Speaking to the media near his residence, Shivakumar said, "I will examine why this proposal to allocate 5 per cent of park land came about, what the previous government did, and which land was given to whom. I will call for the files, and we can discuss this again in the Assembly." "There was no discussion while passing the amendment to the Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) Act.

Now, they are staging a protest and let them do it. I am ready to hold discussions on it. I know how they (BJP) also allotted parks and other lands. There's no need for anyone to worry. I know how to protect park land," he said.

The chief minister was referring to the "Walk in Lalbagh. Walk for Lalbagh” protest held in Bengaluru. "I am open to suggestions from the Opposition. I will also consider suggestions from the public. It is not my intention to create any confusion.

The decision will be taken keeping the larger public interest in mind," he added. The Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) (Amendment) Act 2026 amends the original 1975 Act, allowing 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”.

Critics fear the law will open the door to real estate development and infrastructure projects, but the government says it applies only to public utility projects undertaken by government departments, statutory authorities, public sector companies, or local authorities.

The 240-acre Lalbagh Botanical Garden and the 197-acre Cubbon Park are the most iconic among the 1,353 parks in Bengaluru.