Over 20,000 people have signed an online petition demanding that the city’s parks be protected under Bengaluru Rising Campaign
Bengaluru: Citizens groups and Greenpeace India welcome Chief Minister D K Shivakumar’s statement that the Karnataka Government will review the Parks Amendment Bill and allow the matter to be discussed again in the Legislative Assembly.
The CM’s statement comes after sustained public opposition, with thousands of Bengaluru residents coming together under the rallying cry “Not 5%. Not 1 inch. Leave Our Parks Alone” to oppose the proposed amendment allowing portions of parkland to be diverted for infrastructure projects. In just seven days, over 20,000 people have signed an online petition demanding that the city’s parks be protected. The movement was initiated and mobilised under the Bangalore Rising campaign along with citizen groups and civil society organisations demanding protection of Bengaluru’s green commons.
“What the movement has shown us is that Bengaluru is watching and its people care deeply about how the city is being shaped. Thousands showing up and over 20,000 people signing this petition sends a clear message: our parks are not land banks for concrete development. Opening the bill for review is a welcome first step, but discussion cannot be mistaken for a rollback. The amendment must be withdrawn, and decisions affecting Bengaluru’s green and blue spaces must be transparent and participatory,” said Selomi Garnaik, Climate and Energy Campaigner, Greenpeace India.
Greenpeace India and citizen groups call for meaningful public consultation on any infrastructure proposal that could affect the city’s green and blue spaces including parks, lakes, wetlands, forests or other green and blue commons. The movement advocates for formal recognition of urban green spaces as essential environmental safeguards- ensuring their ecological, social and health values are given legal protection at par with concrete infrastructure.
“Revisiting the amendment is not enough. We demand that the Bill be withdrawn and that the government initiate a meaningful public consultation on the future of Bengaluru’s parks,” said Leon from Bangalore Environment Forum.
At a time when Bengaluru is experiencing rising temperatures, worsening air pollution, water stress, flooding and rapid urbanisation, the city needs more green spaces, not fewer. The government should use this moment to develop a long-term Green Space Protection Plan with strong legal safeguards, a transparent inventory of public green spaces, restoration of degraded areas and a commitment to expanding equitable access across the city.
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