Bengaluru: The Karnataka cabinet, which met on Thursday has decided to withdraw the controversial Karnataka Parks (Preservation) Amendments Bill 20126, which it had passed recently concluded monsoon session that ended a fortnight ago.
The bill, that was passed without a debate since the opposition BJP was on protest, allows the government to use 5% of the park and public Gardner land for other development activities.
Passing the bill took everyone by surprise as it was not on the agenda when the session started. Passing the bill evoked public ire, who blamed that the government was trying to divert land of historical Lalbagh in Bengaluru for its ambitious tunnel road project.
There was huge protest at Lalbagh on Aug 30, Sunday led by Bengaluru South MP Tejaswi Surya and prominent personalities of Bengaluru city, who expressed their opposition by hugging the famous Lalbagh rock.
Even the government started realising that the bill could attract a legal complication and strictures from the court. On Thursday, the cabinet decided to withdraw the bill, which had gone for Governor's consent.
Ever since the government announced its pet 16.5 kms tunnel road project between Hebbal junction to Silk Board junction, to reduce the vehicular congestion, it is facing stiff resistance from the opposition. In the first place, the cost of the project is estimated to be over ₹ 17,500 crore and even the user fee is said to be over ₹ 650 for every drive.
However, it was revealed that the contract has been awarded to Adani groups and the Detailed Project Report revealed that about six acres of Lalbagh would be diverted for the project, where a bus stand and a commercial complex would be constructed for commercial use of the developers.
When the bill was passed from nowhere, the people reacted sharply and resorted to protest, forcing the government to withdraw the bill.
