Members of the Mysuru Kannada Vedike staged a protest near Karanji Lake on Thursday, alleging that a water park is being built illegally beside Mysuru Zoo in an environmentally sensitive area and could threaten wildlife and biodiversity around the lake.
The protesters said the construction has been undertaken next to the zoo wall and close to Karanji Lake without permission from the zoo authority or the Forest Department. They demanded that the work be stopped immediately, the project be shifted elsewhere and an investigation be ordered against those responsible for allegedly violating regulations.
S. Balakrishna, president of the organisation, said Mysuru Zoo and the surrounding area provide a safe habitat for rare wildlife and birds, including species facing the risk of extinction. He said the zoo’s surrounding zone had been declared a silence zone, but noise from vehicles travelling towards Chamundi Hill and the expansion of residential layouts were already creating pressure on animals and birds.
According to the protesters, the proposed water park would add another disturbance next to the zoo and Karanji Lake’s biodiversity. They said construction adjoining the zoo wall and affecting the lake’s ecological setting was unacceptable, particularly in an area where wildlife protection and visitor activity must be managed together.
The organisation also alleged that the district administration and the zoo authority had remained silent despite the claimed absence of required permissions. The protesters said this silence had raised questions about oversight of construction activity in and around the sensitive zone. The report does not include a response from the district administration, the zoo authority, the Forest Department or the agency associated with the water park.
The demands made during the protest include immediate suspension of construction, relocation of the project, a probe into the alleged regulatory violations and stronger protection for animals and birds around Mysuru Zoo and Karanji Lake. The protesters warned that they would intensify their agitation if the government did not act.
The issue places attention on the responsibilities of multiple public institutions when commercial or recreational construction is proposed near protected wildlife facilities and urban water bodies. Any decision on the project will require clarity on the permissions obtained, the applicable wildlife and environmental rules, the project’s precise location and its potential effect on the lake and zoo surroundings. Those details were not provided in the report.
The protesters who took part included Nalabadi Ravi, Bogadi Siddagowda, Gopi, Palace Babu, LIC Siddappa, Honakere Swamy, Govindaraju, Harish, Sai Chamaraju, Kaveramma, Malini, Chennappa, Shivagauda, Manohar, Ramesh, Madappa, Sunil, Shivakumar and Mahadevu Kavalupade. The next official step will depend on whether the district administration, Forest Department or Mysuru Zoo authority orders an inspection or responds to the allegations.
