Decision on sky deck in Bangalore University after consultation: Karnataka Higher Education Minister M C Sudhakar

Speaking to The Indian Express, Sudhakar said, “The government has not finalised the BU campus for setting up the sky deck. We have learnt that BBMP has written to BU, but we are yet to consider the same. The matter will be taken up in the upcoming syndicate meeting and a decision will be taken accordingly. The BBMP has sought land at the corner of the Jnana Bharathi campus, with close proximity to the Bangalore University metro station. Moreover, the university is contemplating a flyover through the campus starting from the metro station to ease the vehicular congestion within the campus. All these aspects will be studied thoroughly before finalising anything.”

However, the possibility of setting up a sky deck in an educational institution has sparked criticism from professors and students. A senior professor said, “The Jnana Bharathi campus is strictly meant for education purposes. Setting up a sky deck with a motive of commercialisation, violates the norm. Moreover, the campus is home to rich biodiversity, and any effort to concretise will only disturb the ecological balance of the space. We have spared only a few lung spaces in Bengaluru and BU campus is one of them. It is essential that we resist this proposal tooth and nail.”

The BBMP has been actively searching for land for the proposed 250-metre-tall sky deck project in Bengaluru. However, the civic agency has faced multiple challenges in finalising a location due to various factors such as aviation restrictions, public feedback, and land availability. Initially, the project was proposed for the Central Business District (CBD), but objections from the Ministry of Defence, the Airports Authority of India, and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) regarding height restrictions near sensitive zones like HAL Airport forced a rethink. Alternative sites like the New Government Electric Factory (NGEF) near Baiyappanahalli and Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited (KSDL) in Yeshwanthpur were considered but faced similar regulatory hurdles.

More recently, the BBMP zeroed in on a 25-acre plot in Hemmigepura along the Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises (NICE) Road on the city’s southwest outskirts. However, this plan hit a snag when the state government declined to approve the use of NICE-owned land, prompting the BBMP to search for new options.

In fact, a four-member committee set up by Bangalore University (BU) has also red-flagged the establishment of the University of Visvesvaraya College of Engineering (UVCE) in a 50-acre space of the Jnana Bharathi campus, citing ‘ecological damage’. The summary of the report reviewed by The Indian Express showed that any diversion of the biodiversity-rich area will violate the Biological Diversity Act, 2004, and Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, of the Government of India.

Out of the 800 acres of the Jnana Bharathi campus, around 300 acres have been leased out to various institutions and facilities for education and other purposes. The Sports Authority of India (SAI) occupies around 81 acres. Higher education and research establishments like the Ambedkar School of Economics (43 acres), the National Law School of India University (30 acres), the Regional Institute of English (11 acres), and the Institute for Social and Economic Change (38 acres) also hold significant portions. Additionally, organisations such as Atomic Energy (15 acres), Indian Institute of Plantation Management (5 acres), Dhanavantri (8 acres), NAAC (10 acres), and Kannada Bhasha Sahitya Adayana (3 acres) are part of the leased land. Various student hostels, including those for OBC and minority students, occupy smaller plots, while essential public services like a police station, fire station, and metro infrastructure are also present. Meanwhile, a 15-acre lease for Yoga Sciences has been cancelled by the syndicate, though the formal cancellation is pending.