Notification for acquisition of 518 acres issued for Bidadi township project despite opposition from farmers

RAMANAGARA: Amid debates for and against the Bidadi satellite township project, being implemented by the Greater Bengaluru Development Authority (GBDA), the state government has issued the final notification for the project and, in the initial phase, ordered the acquisition of 518 acres of land across three villages.

Following the tussle over the Bidadi township project, the state government has issued the final notification despite farmers’ opposition. Out of the 7,418 acres of land acquisition across nine revenue villages under the project area, it has issued the final notification for the initial phase covering 518 acres across three villages. The government has issued the notification for land acquisition of around 754 farmers’ lands in Kempaiahnapalya, Mandalahalli and Vaderahalli villages in Bidadi hobli.

The Urban Development Department has instructed farmers to submit proper documents and claim compensation, fixing a minimum rate of Rs 2.07 crore per acre. Documents related to land rights including sale deed, gift deed, partition deed, along with confirmation letters and ID cards, must be submitted to claim compensation. Already, over 200 people have applied for the compensation amount.

Greater Bengaluru Development Authority chairman Ganakal Nataraju said the compensation money will be released from next week itself. “There is some confusion among the farmers about payments. The compensation will be paid in full through online deposit”, he added.

Meanwhile, farmers have been continuously protesting against the project for the past one and a half years. But Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who has taken the Bidadi Township project as a matter of prestige, has continued the township construction process without backing down.

This has angered farmers, who say they will not give up their land under any circumstances. They warned that they will not part with their land even if it costs their lives, and will launch a large-scale agitation against the government forcibly seizing farmers’ lands, including a Vidhana Soudha Chalo.