Bengaluru, 14 May

Union Minister for Steel and Heavy Industries HD Kumaraswamy on Thursday accused the State government of turning the proposed Greater Bengaluru township project near Bidadi into an “official real estate business by taking away farmers’ land” with projected revenue of over Rs 33,000 crore for 15 years. He demanded that the land acquisition be stopped, stating that the JD(S) stood with farmers.

He was referring to the Rs 18,133 crore Greater Bengaluru Integrated Suburban Project at Bidadi in Bengaluru South district, approved in the 30 April Cabinet meeting. The project will cover 7,481 acres across nine villages in Bengaluru South and Ramanagara taluk.

Kumaraswamy told reporters at the JD(S) office in Bengaluru that the government was targeting fertile agricultural land in eight villages under the guise of townships and business corridors. He said the affected villages included Byramangala, Hosur and Kanchakarahalli in Bidadi of the erstwhile Ramanagara Assembly constituency.

The Union Minister said during his tenure as chief minister in 2006, he had proposed integrated townships around Bengaluru and had planned five at places including Hoskote, Solur and Satnur. It was to decongest Bengaluru and was discussed with farmers, unlike the present project.

He claimed that the current government was reviving old township concepts only for commercial gains and questioned why earlier a fact-finding committee reports opposing such projects had not been placed before the Cabinet.

Kumaraswamy said the government was offering only Rs 2 crore to Rs 2.25 crore per acre to farmers in some places despite earlier land valuations around Eagleton Township being fixed at nearly Rs 12 crore.

“On what basis was Rs 12 crore fixed then, and why are farmers now being offered only Rs 2 crore?” he asked questioning claims that 80 per cent of landowners had consented.

Kumaraswamy said he had proposed a tunnel road from Minsk Square to Hebbal through a Korean company at an estimated cost of Rs 30 crore and had later approved an elevated corridor project from Silk Board to KR Puram with a Rs 9,000 crore allocation. Similar projects were now being pursued at vastly inflated costs.

He said protesting farmers had been prevented from entering the Deputy Commissioner’s office and that the government was threatening compulsory acquisition if farmers refused.

“There has been no social impact assessment. That is mandatory. The DC never visited any village,” he added.

He also questioned the government’s claims that AI cities and industrial projects would create meaningful employment for rural youth and women dependent on agriculture and milk production.