Alyia Krumbiegel plea to Karnataka Governor on 5% Park Bill

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29 Aug 2026

Hon’ble Shri Thawar Chand Gehlot,

Governor of Karnataka

Lok Bhavan

Raj Bhavan Road

Bangalore 560001

Your Excellency:

I hope you will forgive me for writing to you directly.

My name is Alyia Krumbiegel, and I am the great-granddaughter of G.H. Krumbiegel, the renowned horticulturist and landscape visionary who devoted so much of his life to Bengaluru and, in particular, to Lalbagh.

I am writing not as a politician or as someone holding any official position, but simply as a descendant of a man who believed deeply that Bengaluru’s gardens, trees and public spaces were an essential part of the city’s identity, character and future.

Through Heritage Beku,  I have become increasingly involved in efforts to protect Bengaluru’s heritage and green spaces.

The recent passage of the Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) (Amendment) Bill, 2026, allowing up to 5% of parkland to be alienated for specified public infrastructure and utility purposes, has therefore caused me considerable concern.

I fully understand that Bengaluru faces enormous infrastructure and mobility challenges. The city needs better public transport, better connectivity and carefully considered infrastructure to serve its growing population. But I worry that allowing portions of established and historic parks to be surrendered sets a very dangerous precedent.

Five per cent may sound small on paper. In a historic living landscape, it is not necessarily small at all.

A park is not simply an area measured in acres. It is a living ecological system  its mature trees, soil, water systems, biodiversity, landscape design, history and cultural significance are all interconnected.

This is particularly important in the case of Lalbagh, which is not simply another piece of government land. It is part of Bengaluru’s history and one of the city’s most important remaining green spaces.

My great-grandfather’s work there was based on the belief that a great city should live alongside nature, rather than continually sacrifice nature to accommodate the city.

There is also a rather personal connection which I hope you will permit me to mention.

My great-grandfather was involved in looking after the grounds and gardens of what is now Raj Bhavan. I still have in my possession a silver box inscribed to him by Queenie and Terence Bowden in 1936, in appreciation of his care of the gardens.

It is a small but very precious family possession, and to me it represents something much larger a reminder of a time when the care of Bengaluru’s gardens and landscapes was regarded as something of real importance and value.

It also makes my concern for the city’s green heritage deeply personal.

What concerns me most about the present legislation is not simply the number  5%. It is the principle that could be established.

If 5% can be taken today, what protects another percentage being considered tomorrow?

The proposed infrastructure projects affecting or potentially affecting Lalbagh have brought this question into particularly sharp focus.

I recognise that difficult decisions have to be made in a rapidly growing city. However, I believe we must also ask whether we are adequately considering alternatives before permanently altering or sacrificing historic public green spaces.

I am not asking for special treatment for Lalbagh because of my family connection. Quite the opposite. My connection gives me an even stronger sense of responsibility to speak for all of Bengaluru’s public green spaces, whether or not they carry a famous name.

These places belong to the people of Karnataka and, importantly, to generations who have not yet been born.

I therefore respectfully ask whether you would be willing to consider these concerns and whether there is any appropriate avenue through which Heritage Beku and concerned citizens can ensure that the long-term heritage, environmental and public-interest implications of this legislation and the proposed infrastructure projects are properly considered.

My great-grandfather was always a very modest man. He did not create and nurture gardens for personal recognition. He did so because he believed they mattered to people.

I would like to believe that we can honour that philosophy today by finding solutions to Bengaluru’s infrastructure problems without making its historic parks and green spaces the price we pay for progress.

I would be deeply grateful if you would consider my letter. I would also be very happy to share photographs and details of the silver box from 1936, should that be of interest.

With profound respect,

Alyia Krumbiegel

Great-granddaughter of G.H. Krumbiegel

Heritage Beku

Bengaluru / UK

CC: All concerned

5%?Guardians, Not Liquidators: Protecting Bengaluru’s Ancestral Greenery

Today’s protest with hundreds of Bengaluru residents ranged on the Labagh Rock showed how passionately citizens feel about the contentious and retrograde 5% bill.

They want it rolled back.

As voices and hands rose, and people stood in a group, in a human chain and then lay on the rock, the single feeling was palpable.

Protect our space

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As guardians of Bengaluru’s living heritage, Heritage Beku stands alongside citizens at Lalbagh to express deep heartbreak and outrage over the Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) Amendment Bill, 2026. Treating the sacred green sanctuaries of our Garden City as convenient real-estate buffers for concrete infrastructure—such as the proposed tunnel road—reflects an ill-thought-out, transactional mindset that fundamentally disrespects our city's soul. Lalbagh and Cubbon Park are not mere plots of empty land to be bartered off; they are irreplaceable historical ecosystems, microclimate buffers, and the very foundation of Bengaluru’s identity. Sacrificing even a fraction of these public treasures for short-sighted development compromises the future of generations to come. 

Allowing up to 5% of protected parkland to be alienated sets a retrograde precedent that dismantles decades of environmental stewardship. A healthy metropolis requires expanding green spaces, not slicing away the tiny 2 to 3% that remains. Nature cannot be negotiated in arbitrary percentages. Carving out parkland for heavy machinery, shafts, and concrete ramps risks irreversible damage to delicate ecosystems, centuries-old flora, and geological wonders like the 3.4-billion-year-old Peninsular Gneiss rock. Heritage Beku demands an immediate withdrawal of this amendment; true progress must build around our heritage, not erase it. 

5% Park Bill vs. Heritage Beku's Stance

A Slippery Precedent ("Not 5%, Not 1 Inch"): 

Framing 5% as a "minor compromise" is inherently deceptive. What starts as a 5% exception today for infrastructure legally opens the door for 10%, 20%, or further piecemeal encroachment tomorrow, stripping public parks of their permanent legal protection. 

Irreversible Ecological & Heritage Destruction: Lalbagh’s 3.4-billion-year-old Peninsular Gneiss hill, centuries of botanical legacy, and delicate hydrology cannot be "restored" once disrupted by heavy machinery and tunneling. You cannot substitute an ancient living canopy with temporary promises. 

Severe Microclimate and Health Consequences: Peer-reviewed urban studies show Bengaluru's parks keep surrounding neighborhoods over 2°C cooler, buffering the city against urban heat island effects. Slicing green spaces directly undermines public health, air quality, and climate resilience when the city needs it most. 

Transactional Short-Termism vs. Long-Term Vision: Reducing heritage parks to zero-cost land banks for roads and utility projects signals a total lack of urban imagination. Sustainable mobility must adapt around preserved natural heritage, rather than cannibalizing the very spaces that make Bengaluru liveable.

Violation of the Public Trust & Heritage Identity: The 1975 Act was created to safeguard public parks for the citizens. Pushing an amendment to clear legal hurdles for mega-projects without transparent public consultation betrays the social contract between the state and the people of the Garden City.

Heritage Beku demands a roll back. NOW.

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Alyia Krumbiegel , GH Krumbiegel’s descendant and a core member of Heritage Beku shares her concern reg the infra approach to Lalbagh

“Building underground tunnel roads in Bengaluru is a fundamentally flawed approach to urban mobility because adding road space inherently attracts more private vehicles, worsening congestion rather than solving it. Tunnels offer remarkably low passenger throughput compared to rail options, carrying only a fraction of the commuters that a single metro line moves, while exit ramps merely shift bottleneck traffic onto already gridlocked surface streets. Financially, deep-bore tunneling is exorbitantly expensive and relies on high tolls that restrict public infrastructure to affluent drivers. Environmentally, drilling through the city's granitic bedrock risks disrupting natural water tables and damaging critical green cover like Lalbagh for surface vents and ramps.

To create genuine, long-term transit relief, Bengaluru must prioritize high-capacity mass transit and demand management. Expanding the public bus fleet to over 15,000 vehicles with dedicated transit lanes offers immediate throughput at a fraction of the cost. Fast-tracking all four corridors of the suburban rail network alongside key metro lines will efficiently move regional commuters, while investing in continuous pedestrian infrastructure and first-mile feeders makes transit accessible. Paired with demand-side policy measures like congestion pricing, managed parking fees, and staggered work shifts, the city can flatten peak traffic demand and build a sustainable mobility ecosystem focused on moving people rather than private automobiles.”

Bengaluru’s Parks Are Not Land Banks

For everyone who has fought to protect Bengaluru’s precious green spaces, the passing of this Bill is an incredibly painful moment.

But let us be absolutely clear: this is not just about Lalbagh.

It is about the future of every park and protected green space in Bengaluru and across Karnataka that could now face increasing pressure from infrastructure and development.

Lalbagh, Cubbon Park, Jayamahal Park, Bugle Rock Park, Freedom Park, Cariappa Park, Coles Park, Sankey Tank and the countless neighbourhood parks that help make Bengaluru the Garden City are all part of our shared heritage.

Each has its own history, ecological importance and place in the lives of the communities who use them.

5% Is Not “Just 5%”

Five per cent may sound like a small figure. It is not.

Once pieces are taken from irreplaceable green spaces, that land cannot simply be returned. Trees can be replanted, but mature ecosystems, established landscapes, biodiversity and decades sometimes centuries of history cannot be recreated overnight.

More importantly, we must ask what precedent is being established.

If parkland can be allocated for infrastructure today, where does that principle end?

Today, 5%. Tomorrow, what?

We must stop viewing parks as empty government land waiting to be used for another purpose. They are public assets, held in trust for present and future generations.

Lalbagh Is More Than a Park

Lalbagh is particularly precious. It is not simply an open green space in the middle of Bengaluru. It is a historic botanical garden and a living part of the city's horticultural heritage.

But the principle extends far beyond Lalbagh.

Whether it is a world-famous botanical garden, a historic urban park or a small neighbourhood green space, every park contributes to the character, environment and quality of life of Bengaluru.

These spaces provide shade, biodiversity, cleaner air, areas for recreation and respite, and a vital connection between people and nature in an increasingly dense city.

Once they are lost, they are extraordinarily difficult if not impossible to replace.

The Fight Is Not Over

The passing of the Bill may be devastating, but it does not mean the conversation ends here.

There are important legal, constitutional, environmental and heritage questions that deserve proper examination.

Before a single square metre of protected parkland is sacrificed, there should be transparency, credible scientific evidence, independent scrutiny and meaningful public consultation.

Citizens deserve to know why protected green space is considered necessary for development, what alternatives have been examined, and what the long-term consequences will be.

This is not about being against infrastructure or against Bengaluru's development.

It is about asking whether development can be achieved without permanently sacrificing the green spaces that make this city what it is.

We Must Stand Up for Every Park

Heritage is not limited to monuments and buildings.

Our landscapes, gardens, trees, parks and public green spaces are also heritage.

And heritage belongs not only to those of us who are fortunate enough to enjoy it today. It belongs to the generations that come after us.

We will continue to stand for all of Bengaluru’s parks

not just the famous ones.

Because once green space is gone, we cannot simply plant our way back to the landscape we lost.

🌳 PARKS ARE NOT LAND BANKS.

🌳 5% IS NOT “JUST 5%”.

🌳 EVERY PARK MATTERS.

🌳 BENGALURU’S GREEN HERITAGE BELONGS TO FUTURE GENERATIONS TOO.

The Bill may have passed. The fight to protect Bengaluru’s parks has not.