The Karnataka Cabinet has decided to withdraw the controversial Bill allowing up to five per cent of government park and garden land to be used for public purposes, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara on Thursday said that the Cabinet.The move comes amid stiff opposition to the proposal by the opposition BJP and civil society groups.The government will now put the proposed legislation in the public domain, seek suggestions and bring it back in the next Assembly session with amendments, Parameshwara told reporters after the Cabinet meeting.“The Cabinet has decided to withdraw the Bill. We will withdraw it, put it in the public domain for discussion and reintroduce it in the next session, obviously with amendments,” he said.Bill proposed up to 5% park land for public purposesThe Bill sought to amend the Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) Act, 1975, to permit alienation of up to five per cent of park land for public utility and infrastructure projects.It provided for forms of alienation, including sale, lease, subject to the five per cent ceiling and other safeguards.The move to introduce the amendment bill was significant in the context of the proposed 17-km tunnel road project connecting Hebbal and Central Silk Board. The project requires around six acres of Lalbagh land temporarily and one acre permanently, according to sources.Lalbagh is home to the approximately three-billion-year-old ‘Peninsular Gneiss’ (huge ancient rock) and is an important ecological and geological heritage site. Citizen groups have demanded that it should not be used for “real estate”.Government says provisions will be reconsideredParameshwara said the government had brought the amendment in the previous session but there had been little discussion on it, allowing the Opposition to create misconceptions about its purpose.He said the government would reconsider the provisions in the Bill, including those dealing with lease, sale, gift and clarify them before bringing the legislation again.He also rejected the interpretation that the government was seeking to take five per cent of Lalbagh itself or a fixed five-acre portion of the botanical garden for the tunnel road project.The decision comes after protests in Bengaluru against the amendment, particularly over concerns that it could facilitate the diversion of green spaces for infrastructure projects.Chief Minister D K Shivakumar had earlier said he was open to suggestions from the Opposition and the public and would review the proposal.Parameshwara said the government would compile the suggestions received from the public, reconsider the contentious provisions and bring the legislation back in a different form in the next session.Shivakumar says decision reflects public sentimentWhile CM Shivakumar termed the decision a reflection of commitment to people, the opposition BJP termed it yet another success in its agitation after the Ballari Rural MLA B Nagendra’s resignation from the Cabinet over the Valmiki ST Corporation ‘scam’.“Our government has always respected the sentiments of the people of Karnataka. The Cabinet’s decision to withdraw the Karnataka Parks Conservation Amendment Bill is also a reflection of this commitment to the people,” Shivakumar said in a post on ‘X’.Taking into consideration the public opinion, concerns and sentiments, the government has decided to present its intentions more clearly before the people and reintroduce the Bill with the necessary amendments, he said.“In a democracy, the people are the ultimate judges. It is the resolve of our government to honestly place our intentions before the court of public opinion and move forward with the people’s trust,” the CM stated.BJP calls withdrawal another victoryOpposition Leader in the Assembly R Ashoka said the withdrawal of the Bill was another victory for BJP.He asserted that his party would not allow parks to be used for other purposes in future.Speaking at a press conference, he said the BJP had announced a campaign titled “Save Parks, Save Bengaluru” and had planned protests across the city.“This is a short-term chief minister and a U-turn government,” Ashoka said, referring to the resignation of former minister Nagendra and the withdrawal of the park land Bill.He said there was no need to discuss the Bill in the Assembly as the BJP would not allow park land to be taken over.“The government had moved to destroy parks to facilitate a tunnel-road project for industrialist Gautam Adani. Bengaluru has 1,523 parks. Lalbagh has an area of 240 acres, so five per cent would amount to 12 acres. Cubbon Park has an area of 192 acres, so five per cent would amount to 10 acres,” he said.Karnataka BJP president attacks Congress governmentKarnataka BJP president B Y Vijayendra mocked the state government for deciding to withdraw the controversial Bill after the saffron party’s agitation.In a post on ‘X’, he said the Shivakumar-led Congress government has once again been forced to take back one of its “disastrous decisions”.Vijayendra said the government pushed the “draconian Parks Bill” through the House without proper discussion, while the BJP was protesting against Nagendra’s induction into the Cabinet.“The Real Estate CM thought he could bulldoze it without discussion. But the BJP alongside the people of Bengaluru has made it clear that anything detrimental to the city and its people will not be accepted,” the Shikaripura MLA said.Alleging that the state government did not think before taking decisions as the pros and cons are an afterthought, Vijayendra said, “The first calculation appears to be: How much money can be made? How much can be sent to the high command? What needs to be done to protect the CM’s chair and ministers’ positions? That has become the pattern of this Congress government.”Tejasvi Surya welcomes withdrawalBengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya, who had steered agitation against the bill and the tunnel road project, welcomed the decision of the government to withdraw it.“I sincerely commend the chief minister for this decision. Governments earn the respect of citizens when they defer to the will of the people. Well done, sir. For me, this has never been a political fight. It has always been about doing what is right for Bengaluru,” Surya said in a post on ‘X’.He also appealed to Shivakumar to “drop the unscientific and unnecessary tunnel road project”.Published on September 3, 2026