Karnataka farmer attempts suicide near Assembly over highway land compensation
A sandalwood farmer from Karnataka’s Chikkamagaluru district attempted suicide near the Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru on Tuesday, demanding compensation for land acquired for a Highway
A sandalwood farmer from Karnataka’s Chikkamagaluru district attempted suicide near the Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru on Tuesday, demanding compensation for land acquired for a Highway project. The farmer, identified as Vishukumar, tried to hang himself from a sandalwood tree behind the Vidhana Soudha premises. Police personnel rushed to the spot after noticing the incident and persuaded him to come down. He was later taken into custody and shifted to a police station for questioning.
Read Full Story According to Vishukumar, around 1.5 acres of his land was acquired by the Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in 2016 for a highway expansion project. He alleged that he is entitled to nearly Rs 62 crore as compensation for the acquired land and sandalwood trees growing on it. However, he claimed that the valuation submitted by the Forest Department assessed the compensation at only Rs 62 lakh, resulting in a prolonged dispute and delay in payment.
Vishukumar alleged that despite repeated appeals to authorities over the past several years, the compensation amount has not been released. "They promised compensation worth crores, but not a single rupee has been released. Earlier, they made several assurances, but now no one is responding properly. How long am I supposed to keep waiting?" the farmer asked while speaking to the media after police persuaded him to climb down from the tree. This is not the first time the farmer has staged a protest over the issue.
Two years ago, he had allegedly cut down a sandalwood tree behind the Vidhana Soudha in an attempt to draw the government’s attention to his demand. Blaming delays in compensation disbursal and alleged lapses in valuation, Vishukumar said he was driven to take the extreme step. Authorities are yet to respond to release compensation to him. Ends
The BriefWire