More than a month after Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced that the land acquisition bid for the proposed 1,777-acre high-tech defence and aerospace park would be dropped, the government recently said it will convene a Land Rate Fixation meeting for 439 acres and 32 guntas with farmers in Hadala and Gokarebachenahallu villages in Bengaluru Rural district.
To determine the compensation rates, a meeting of the Land Price Advisory Committee, chaired by the special deputy commissioner, Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB), has been scheduled on September 6 at Sri Aurobindo Bhavan in Bengaluru.
Siddaramaiah’s earlier decision was announced after protests by farmers and land rights activists opposing the acquisition of 1,777 acres of fertile agricultural land in Channarayapatna hobli and nearby villages. Noting the scale of the agitation, he had also said it was one of the most “significant and historic” protests against land acquisition in recent memory in Karnataka.
The chief minister had also stated that the state government would only proceed with land purchases from willing farmers, offering them compensation above the guidance value and developed plots in return. Earlier on July 12, representatives of various farmers’ organisations from Channarayapatna hobli in Devanahalli taluk met Siddaramaiah at his official residence, and expressed their willingness to part with 449 acres of land. They had urged the chief minister to ensure fair and appropriate compensation for the land to be acquired.
Government authorities claimed that several farmers have expressed interest in offering their land for the industrial project, and notices have been served to only such farmers. However, some farmers argued that the decision was contrary to Siddaramaiah’s promise and that such a reversal amounts to betrayal.
A S Raghu, a farmer and part of the Channarayapatna Land Struggle Committee, told The Indian Express, “This is nothing but a reversal of Siddaramaiah’s earlier decision to drop the 1,777 acres of notified land, denotify them and then accept land from only willing farmers. However, my 10-acre land is yet to be dropped from the acquisition, and they have already called a meeting to fix the land rates. My 10-acre land falls under the 439 acres that have been notified.”
He further said, “Some miscreants can even fudge my Right of Records (pahani) and pose before the committee. The government should first denotify all our lands and then accept land from willing farmers. We have no objection to that.”
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Gopinath, another farmer, said, “It is a big disappointment. Despite the chief minister assuring us about denotifying the land, the government is going ahead with the land rate fixation meeting. If the government does not walk the talk, we have no choice but to hit the streets again in protest.”
Meanwhile, Devanahalli pro-farmer bodies have reached out to the chief minister, flagging their concerns, following which they have been assured of a response from him on Sunday.
A government official said, “Denotifying an already notified land is technically a challenging task… 439 acres of land belong to such farmers who have willingly expressed their interest to offer their land. If some of them want to withdraw their land offering, they can do so in the meeting. Following the meeting, the KIADB will take a final decision on the same.”