Tejasvi Surya Urges Karnataka CM to Reconsider Proposed Park Land Diversion

Bengaluru: Bengaluru South BJP MP Tejasvi Surya has written an open letter to Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, expressing strong concern over the Cabinet’s reported decision to amend the Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) Act, 1975, potentially allowing diversion of up to 5% of park land.

Surya argued that public parks should not be treated as real-estate assets, stressing their ecological and social importance. He specifically cited Lalbagh, Cubbon Park and thousands of other parks across Karnataka, saying they must remain protected from commercial and real-estate projects.

The BJP MP alleged that the proposed amendment could facilitate projects such as the Bengaluru Tunnel Road by circumventing proceedings before the Karnataka High Court.

Surya urged the Chief Minister to reconsider the amendment and called for strict safeguards, environmental assessments and meaningful public consultation before any park land is diverted.

“Our green spaces are not meant to be traded, transferred or sacrificed,” Surya said, emphasizing that parks belong to the people of Karnataka and future generations.

The proposed amendment has become a fresh point of political contention between the BJP and the Congress government, particularly over the use of Bengaluru’s public and ecological spaces for infrastructure development.