Karnataka Cabinet Withdraws Controversial Parks Bill Amendment

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Thursday decided to roll back the controversial Parks Amendment bill, after major pushback from citizens, nature activists, and opposition parties alike.

The Parks Bill Amendment, which was passed in the recently concluded Karnataka Assembly Monsoon session, explicitly permits the state government to alienate 5 percentage of only park land in the state by way of sale, lease, gift, exchange, mortgage, or otherwise.

This applies strictly in favour of government departments, statutory authorities, government companies, or local authorities for public utility projects. It provides for establishing an authoritative evaluation mechanism headed by the Additional Chief Secretary to the government, alongside designated officers and expert domain professionals, ensuring that any proposed land utilisation is thoroughly evaluated before any recommendation is made to the state government.

The Bill mandates that the five per cent spatial ceiling is strictly inclusive of any and all lands previously alienated, thereby safeguarding the remaining natural ecosystem. It further clarifies that standard developments by the Horticulture Department for its own administrative and allied use fall entirely outside this restriction. It provides a specialised legal pathway for utilising minimal areas within Horticulture Farms for implementing core Horticulture Projects.