Karnataka’s Bidadi Township project and the land acquisition dispute | Explained
The story so far: The Greater Bengaluru Integrated Township (GBIT), popularly known as Bidadi Township Project, has emerged as a contentious issue in Karnataka, with
The story so far: The Greater Bengaluru Integrated Township (GBIT), popularly known as Bidadi Township Project, has emerged as a contentious issue in Karnataka, with hundreds of farmers staging protests against it, and one such recent instance even turning violent. It has also sparked a political standoff between two prominent Vokkaliga leaders in the State: Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy. The project, aimed at reducing the burden on Bengaluru city, was first proposed by Mr. Kumaraswamy in 2006, but it was put on the backburner following large-scale opposition from farmers. Shivakumar, who earlier held the Bengaluru Development portfolio under the Siddaramaiah government, revived the project, citing multiple reasons. However, Mr. Kumaraswamy is now opposing the project. On July 13, women farmers in Mandalahalli, a village near Bidadi comprising about 15 houses, wielded brooms, flung slippers, and hurled stones at government officials who were part of the Joint Measurement Committee and had arrived in the village to conduct a survey for the implementation of the Bidadi Township Project. The farmers’ protest against the project had remained peaceful for 480 days, even after the government issued the final notification for three villages last month. However, it turned violent when fieldwork began. Mr. Shivakumar, who had been adamant about implementing the project, was forced to revisit it after videos of women farmers attacking officials surfaced and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, 93, wrote to him threatening to go on a hunger strike near Vidhana Soudha. Shivakumar on Wednesday announced that he would set up a committee to assess the merits and demerits of the project and said that farmers unwilling to part with their land could continue cultivation. However, hours later, the Greater Bengaluru Development Authority (GBDA), the project implementing agency, issued the final notification for the acquisition of 4,944.49 acres of land spread across four villages, drawing sharp criticism from farmers. What is the Greater Bengaluru Integrated Township project? Planned at least two decades ago, the project is being spearheaded by Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who has cited its importance for Bengaluru’s future growth. The plan is to build an artificial intelligence-powered integrated township based on the work-live-play model. The location is considered strategic as it is about 40 km from Bengaluru, and a new international airport is likely to come up in close proximity. The project requires about 9,640 acres of land, of which around 7,600 acres are farmland. More than 2,000 acres will be earmarked for AI-based industries and ancillary units. The township will include residential spaces, healthcare, education, and cultural facilities. More than 1,100 acres will be reserved for parks and open spaces. “It is expected to create lakhs of new jobs across IT, AI, start-ups, and service sectors. Dedicated skilling centers at the township will train the workforce for AI-driven and future-ready industries,” says Mr. Shivakumar.
The BriefWire