Open Letter to CM: Save Lalbagh from the Tunnel Project

Respected Chief Minister,

We write with deep concern over the proposal to construct a tunnel road beneath Lalbagh Botanical Garden — Bengaluru’s green heart and a symbol of our shared heritage.

As the descendants of G.H. Krumbiegel, H.C. Javaraya, and Dr. M.H. Marigowda — who each, in their own unique way, helped shape Lalbagh, Cubbon Park, and much of our city’s botanical legacy — we feel a profound responsibility to speak out.

Our ancestors’ vision, shared with the city’s early founders, was of a Bengaluru where nature and progress coexist, not collide.

The idea of tunnelling through Lalbagh Rock, one of the oldest geological formations on Earth, is deeply troubling. This ancient granite, estimated to be over three billion years old, is a monument of time itself — a silent witness to our planet’s earliest history. To disturb it for a traffic experiment would be an irreversible act of harm — both ecological and cultural.

Cities across the world fiercely protect their heritage landscapes. London would never allow Kew Gardens to be dug through for a road; New York would never carve a tunnel under Central Park. Should Bengaluru — once hailed as India’s Garden City — now destroy the very gardens that gave it that name?

We must seek smarter, sustainable solutions for urban mobility that respect history, biodiversity, and public sentiment. Lalbagh is not just a patch of land — it is Bengaluru’s soul, a living museum of flora and a legacy we hold in trust for generations yet to come.

We therefore urge your government to withdraw any plans that endanger Lalbagh and to reaffirm Karnataka’s commitment to heritage and environmental preservation. True progress lies in protecting what makes our city unique — not erasing it.

Let Lalbagh stand — untouched, undisturbed, and forever green. 🌿

Signed,

-Alyia Krumbiegel great granddaughter of GH Krumbiegel .

-Harish Padmanabha grandson of Rao Bahadur H.C.Javaraya LAg, FLS, FRHS,

-Chandra Shaker Grandson of Dr Marigowda