Karnataka Withdraws Controversial Parks Bill Amendment

The Karnataka government on Thursday decided to roll back the controversial Parks Amendment bill, after major pushback from citizens, nature activists, and opposition parties alike. 

The Parks Bill Amendment, which was passed in the recently concluded Karnataka Assembly Monsoon session, explicitly permits the state government to alienate 5 percentage of only park land in the state by way of sale, lease, gift, exchange, mortgage, or



otherwise.

This applies strictly in favour of government departments, statutory authorities, government companies, or local authorities for public utility projects. 

It provides for establishing an authoritative evaluation mechanism headed by the Additional Chief Secretary to the government, alongside designated officers and expert domain professionals, ensuring that any proposed land utilisation is thoroughly evaluated before any recommendation is made to the state government.