Bidadi is not my dream project, says Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar
Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who announced setting up of a committee to review the Bidadi Township Project, maintained that it was never an initiative of
Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who announced setting up of a committee to review the Bidadi Township Project, maintained that it was never an initiative of the present Congress government but a continuation of a proposal announced by the H.D. Kumaraswamy-led coalition government in 2006. “The Bidadi Township Project is not my dream project,” he said at a press conference on Wednesday, adding that he had neither claimed ownership of the idea nor laid its foundation stone. He accused Mr. Kumaraswamy of instigating the farmers’ agitation against the project. Reiterating that the government would not resort to forcible land acquisition, Mr. Shivakumar said compensation would be paid only to farmers who voluntarily agreed to part with their land.
He also said the township would be developed by the government and not by private parties, unlike the proposal during the Mr. Kumaraswamy-led government. ‘Free to continue farming’ He added that landowners unwilling to part with their land were free to continue farming and produced official records tracing the history of the project. Expressing concern over the violence during a land survey in Bidadi on Monday, Mr. Shivakumar said the incident had caused him distress. He alleged that officials were attacked owing to political instigation and accused some people of misleading farmers. Describing himself as the “son of a farmer”, Mr. Shivakumar said he understood the hardships faced by cultivators and would never support any move that harmed their interests.
Back in 2006 Shivakumar said that at a meeting chaired by Mr. Kumaraswamy on September 23, 2006, the government approved the development of five integrated townships around Bengaluru. He said the government subsequently decided to invite global tenders for the project under the public-private partnership (PPP) model. He further said that in 2007, additional villages, including Marandahalli and Odeyarahalli, were brought within the proposed township limits. A Gazette notification issued on November 20, 2006, declared the project area a “Red Zone”, prohibiting development without prior approval from the Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA), he said. Shivakumar also alleged that the previous government had issued orders fixing compensation for properties, including houses in village settlements, and had permitted private developer DLF to participate in the project after collecting a security deposit of ₹400 crore.
“Now tell me, Kumaranna, who the real estate business? Was it you or me?” the Chief Minister asked. Continued by BJP He said the proposal was later pursued by the B.S. Yediyurappa government in 2010, which again invited global tenders under the PPP model. Mr. Shivakumar also said he would not like former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda to stage a protest in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue at Vidhana Soudha against the project.
The BriefWire