Bengaluru: Bengaluru South MP Tejaswi Surya has strongly opposed the government’s reported move to allow 5% of public park land in Bengaluru to be used for other purposes.
Addressing Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on X, Surya questioned the decision, saying Bengaluru’s identity as the “Garden City” was built through generations of efforts to preserve its greenery.
He argued that parks are not vacant land for development or real estate projects but the “lungs” of the city. Bengaluru is already facing challenges such as excessive concretisation, air pollution, rising temperatures and rainwater management problems, he said.
Surya warned that allowing even a portion of park land to be diverted could create pressure for further encroachment on green spaces in the future. “Once a park is lost, it cannot be recreated,” he said.
He urged the government to identify alternative government land if space is required for infrastructure or other projects, instead of using existing parks.
Describing Bengaluru’s green spaces as the legacy of generations, Surya appealed to the government to immediately withdraw any decision that could lead to their reduction.
