K’taka govt withdrawing Parks Protection Bill, to bring it back for discussion in next Assembly session: Dy CM
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Thursday decided to withdraw the Karnataka Parks Preservation (Amendment) Bill, during a Cabinet meeting. The move came amid strong opposition from the public and Opposition parties.
Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara said: “A law had been brought to protect government parks. However, the Opposition parties did not come forward for a discussion on the issue. Instead, they have sent a wrong message to the public.
“We have withdrawn the Bill and will inform the Governor about the decision. Subsequently, the Bill will be brought back for discussion in the next Assembly session.”
Both the houses of the state legislature have passed the bill amid the strong protest by the BJP and JD (S). The Congress government had also sent this Bill to the Governor’s consent.
Chief Minister’s Legal Advisor and Congress MLA A.S. Ponnanna said the concerns surrounding the legislation have been taken seriously by the government.
Ponnanna rejected claims that the amendment was intended to allow the government to take away or sell five per cent of park land for private purposes. He said the provision was aimed at avoiding the need to repeatedly bring amendments before the legislature whenever park land had to be utilised for a public project under compelling circumstances.
“It is wrong to say that five per cent of park land will be utilised. Whenever public projects are implemented and there is a compelling situation requiring the utilisation of park land, the matter has traditionally been brought before the legislature and an amendment has been made,” Ponnanna said.
He explained that the amendment was intended to provide the government with a mechanism to utilise up to five per cent of park land for public projects, thereby avoiding the need to seek a separate legislative amendment every time. He added that the government would decide which public projects, if any, would require such land.
Ponnanna stated that the provision had been misrepresented and that political propaganda was being carried out by claiming that parks would be sold or their land taken away.
“This has been twisted and propaganda is being carried out that parks are being sold and park lands are being taken away. People should not panic. We are here to protect their interests. The government is acting in a responsible and constitutional manner,” he said.
He said Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar had taken note of the concerns raised over the amendment.
The Karnataka Parks Preservation (Amendment) Bill had triggered widespread opposition after it was passed during the previous Assembly session. Critics had raised concerns over the provision allowing up to five per cent of park land to be utilised for public purposes, arguing that it could adversely affect Bengaluru’s green spaces.
Bengaluru’s parks are widely regarded as the city’s lungs, and environmentalists and citizens have expressed apprehension that allowing portions of park land to be diverted could gradually reduce the city’s green cover.