Consent row deepens over Bidadi Township land acquisition: GBDA says 90%, farmers cry foul
The Greater Bengaluru Development Authority’s (GBDA) official data shows that more than 90% of the farmers in three villages near Bidadi, notified by the government
The Greater Bengaluru Development Authority’s (GBDA) official data shows that more than 90% of the farmers in three villages near Bidadi, notified by the government for the Greater Bengaluru Integrated Township (GBIT) project, have consented to part with their land. However, farmers claim that the data has been rigged. Last month, the GBDA issued a final notification for Kempayyanapalya, Mandalahalli, and Vaderahalli, covering 519 acres of land. A total of 9,640 acres of land will be acquired for the project, of which 7,200 acres is farmland. According to the data, of the 367 landowners in Kempayyanapalya, 357 have consented to give up their land. In Mandalahalli, 23 of the 26 landowners have agreed to part with their land, while in Vaderahalli, 53 of the 63 landowners have consented to the project. Farmers refute However, Nagaraju M.R., a landowner in Mandalahalli, dismissed the data as “manipulated” and countered it with his own statistics. According to Mr. Nagaraju, seven members of his family together own 36 acres in Mandalahalli, while the remaining land, consisting of much smaller parcels, is owned by others.
“None of my family members have consented to the project. So who are these 23 landowners who have consented? In addition, more than 60% of the land is owned by seven people who have not consented to the project. Then how have they achieved 80% consent for the project in my own village?” he questioned. The farmer alleged that the data is not only rigged but is also being used to break the morale of the protesters. Yashavantha T., State general secretary of Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha (KPRS), said that different methods were being employed to weaken the protesters’ resolve, including initially distributing compensation cheques to seven farmers through the local MLA. ‘Those who consented remain silent’ However, a senior GBDA official maintained that several farmers who have consented to the project are not speaking out or expressing their support publicly in the villages because of the ongoing protests in the area. “But they have approached us,” the official said.
The officer said that most of them want the compensation to be released at the earliest. “Even MLA for Magadi H.C. Balakrishna held a meeting with the landowners last week, and the overwhelming demand was for the compensation to be released at the earliest,” the officer said. “People who are trying to buy farmland elsewhere are asking for the compensation process to be expedited so that they can invest and secure properties in other villages. However, the process is cumbersome and takes time,” the officer added. Amidst the debate, neither have the farmers presented data on the number of non-consenting landowners, nor is the GBDA’s data based on written consent. The GBDA’s figures are based on verbal consent, and it too does not have written consent from all the farmers. Compensation so far Speaking about the progress of compensation, the officer said that as of Saturday, compensation worth ₹150 crore had been released. About 92 people have opted for cash compensation, 25 have opted for land compensation, and 10 have chosen a combination of cash and land compensation.
The BriefWire