The Karnataka Forest Department is preparing a proposal to develop small eco-parks in Bengaluru’s forest areas, with the stated aim of expanding public access to green space, improving the city’s environmental conditions and supporting groundwater recharge. The proposal is expected to be placed before the state Cabinet, according to a report by Vijay Karnataka quoting Forest and Environment Minister Ramalinga Reddy.
The plan is being considered under the Union government’s Nagar Van Yojana, which supports urban forests and green spaces. The department intends to develop 15 eco-parks across Bengaluru in phases. The first phase is described as covering nine sites, although the report names ten locations, creating an unresolved discrepancy that requires clarification from the department.
The locations named in the report are Jarakabande, Mallasandra, Panathur, Kalkere, Mandur, Turahalli Reserve Forest, Turahalli Minor Forest, Doresanipalya, Machohalli and forest land near Sulikere. The report does not provide the proposed area, estimated cost, project schedule or the exact boundaries of the sites.
According to the department’s stated plan, the eco-parks would be designed to retain the character of the existing forest rather than replace it with conventional landscaped parks. Only specified portions would be opened to the public, while the remaining forest area would continue to be protected. The proposed interventions would be limited, with basic facilities such as toilets and unpaved roads permitted. The report says extensive concrete construction is not planned.
The department also proposes removing invasive or water-intensive tree species, including eucalyptus and acacia, in locations where officials assess that they obstruct groundwater recharge. These would be replaced with local, native and ecologically suitable species. The supplied report does not specify the ecological assessment that would guide removals, the replacement species for each site or the monitoring arrangements after planting.
The proposal responds to concerns identified in the report about rapid urbanisation, increasing concrete surfaces and encroachment on natural areas. These changes have reduced vegetation and affected the city’s hydrological balance, according to the report, including the ability of urban land to absorb rainwater. The proposed parks therefore combine two objectives: creating accessible green spaces and retaining forest functions within a rapidly built-up metropolitan area.
The legal and administrative process will be important because the sites include reserve forest areas. Under forest regulations, using reserve forest land for non-forest purposes generally requires prior approval from the Union environment ministry. Officials quoted by Vijay Karnataka said separate permission may not be necessary because Nagar Van Yojana is administered by the Union ministry and the proposal involves opening defined forest portions as forest-style parks rather than converting them to non-forest use.
Reddy said the department would inspect sites in Jarakabande, Mallasandra, Panathur, Kalkere and Turahalli among other locations before finalising the proposal. The next stated step is submission of the proposal to the state Cabinet. Until the Cabinet considers the proposal and the department clarifies the number, boundaries, costs and environmental safeguards for the sites, the project remains at the planning stage.
