Bengaluru: 8.6-acre Cantonment Colony plot awaits heritage tag

Bengaluru is poised to add another green landmark with the proposed notification of an 8.6-acre biodiversity heritage site near Railway Cantonment Colony in central Bengaluru. If cleared, this will become Karnataka’s sixth biodiversity heritage site and the city’s second, after the 167-hectare Gandhi Krishi Vigyan Kendra (GKVK) campus.

The Karnataka Biodiversity Board, functioning under the Department of Forest, Environment and Ecology, has extended the deadline for public suggestions and objections until September 8.

Citizen push amid official delays

Though the erstwhile BBMP had deferred the decision amid its transition into the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), the board has moved forward decisively.

Conservationist Vijay Nishanth said nearly 1,000 representations have already been filed supporting the proposal. “Ideally, the BBMP’s biodiversity management committee should have carried it forward, but it deferred the decision indefinitely,” he noted.

The initiative has been led by activists and citizens under the Parisarakkagi Naavu organisation, which compiled detailed representations on the area’s ecological and historic value.

Historic and ecological significance

The site was previously earmarked for commercial development by the Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) in partnership with a private builder, a move that would have required the felling of 400 trees.

Activists argue this would have devastated the fragile ecosystem and robbed the city centre of vital lung space. They also highlighted the area’s deep historic roots:

  • Mahatma Gandhi addressed citizens here in 1920 during the Non-Cooperation Movement.
  • The site later became a hub for the Khilafat Movement and anti-British protests.

“Gandhiji inspired Bengaluru’s youth to join the freedom struggle from this very ground,” recalled a member of Parisarakkagi Naavu.

Government response

Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre, who visited the site during recent citizen protests, directed the Additional Chief Secretary to assess its eligibility for heritage status.

“Considering the overwhelming response to our initial notification, we thought of extending the deadline further. Subsequently, we will review the suggestions or objections, if any, and officially announce the place as a biodiversity heritage site in consultation with the local authority,” Khandre said.

Conclusion

With mounting citizen support and government acknowledgment of both the ecological and historic significance, the Cantonment Colony stretch is well on its way to becoming Bengaluru’s second biodiversity heritage site. If notified, it will secure permanent protection against commercial exploitation, preserving a vital green lung for generations to come.