Now Reading: Tejasvi Surya asks Governor to return parks bill, flags Lalbagh risk
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Tejasvi Surya asks Governor to return parks bill, flags Lalbagh risk
Bangalore South MP L S Tejasvi Surya has written to Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, urging him to withhold assent to the Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) Amendment Bill, 2026, and return it to the…
Bangalore South MP L S Tejasvi Surya has written to Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, urging him to withhold assent to the Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) Amendment Bill, 2026, and return it to the state legislature for reconsideration. Surya said the amendment raises serious constitutional, environmental and public interest concerns.
The bill, passed by both Houses, permits the use of government park land for various public purposes and allows the state to alienate up to 5% of the total area of parks by sale, lease, gift or mortgage. Surya said this could put about 65.4 acres of Bengaluru park land at risk, including 12 acres of Lalbagh and 9.85 acres of Cubbon Park.
He also flagged that the proposed tunnel road project would require around five acres of Lalbagh, with plans for a parking and commercial complex. The Governor's assent is crucial for the bill to become law.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Article 200 of the Constitution gives a governor the power to return a bill for reconsideration, but if the legislature passes it again, assent becomes mandatory. This means the fate of the parks bill now rests on Gehlot's decision. Bengaluru has lost over 70% of its green cover since the 1970s, and these two parks are the city's last large lungs. The 5% diversion clause, applied to the 437 acres of Lalbagh and Cubbon Park, would free up nearly 22 acres for development, a scale that environmental groups have warned could set a precedent for other urban parks across Karnataka. The governor's next step, expected within weeks, will signal whether the state's environmental safeguards hold against infrastructure demands.
Source: deccanherald.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
