Thousands protest parks amendment Bill at Lalbagh - The HinduPublished - August 30, 2026 09:08 pm IST - BengaluruParticipants taking part in ‘Save Lalbagh’ rally at Lalbagh in Bengaluru on Sunday. | Photo Credit: SUDHAKARA JAINParticipants taking part in ‘Save Lalbagh’ rally at Lalbagh in Bengaluru on Sunday. | Photo Credit: SUDHAKARA JAINThousands including citizens, children, Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), city BJP MPs and Kannada activists led by 91-year-old environmental activist, A.N. Yellappa Reddy, congregated at Lalbagh on Sunday morning, opposing the recent amendments to two laws the government brought in and the tunnel road project.Protestors opposed the State’s The Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) (Amendment) Bill, 2026 which empowers the government to alienate 5% of the park land to the tunnel road project that passes below Lalbagh.The city’s BJP MPs L.S. Tejasvi Surya, C.N. Manjunath, Shobha Karandlaje, and P.C. Mohan were at the forefront of the protest.They took a walk inside the Lalbagh and also hugged the Lalbagh rock, the Peniusular Gneiss, said to be 3.4 billion years old. They raised slogans “Hasire Usiru, Ulisi Ulisi Lalbagh Ulisi”, “Nammadu Nammadu Lalbagh Nammadu” on the occasion.Addressing the protestors , Mr. Reddy demanded that the State government immediately scrap the recent amendment to the The Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) Act, 1975. He questioned Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on the rationale behind the tunnel road project and pointed out that the due process was not being followed in the planning and approval of the project.Several children and students were also part of the protest.Adarsh M., a college student, said, “Today, the government wants to take away 5% of space in the park. In future, it might only increase. Instead of preserving the existing and limited green space, they have come forward to destroy it. They should scrap the Bill immediately. Provide us better metro connectivity, more public buses and good roads to travel within the city,” he said.Movement to continueMeanwhile, Mr. Surya announced that the movement to save the city’s parks will continue till the government drops the recent amendment Bill.“We will take this movement to every park in the city. I will announce the place of protest for next Sunday soon. I am sure that the government will not change its decision with a single protest. Let us continue the movement until they scrap the Bill and the tunnel road project.”Dr. Manjunath urged the Governor not to give his assent to the Bill.Ms. Karandlaje said she had already met the Governor personally and appealed to him to not to give his assent.Published - August 30, 2026 09:08 pm ISTSign in to unlock member-only benefits!Access 10 free stories every monthSave stories to read laterAccess to comment on every storySign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single clickGet notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products${ ind + 1 } ${ device }Last active - ${ la }