The Aryavarth Express
Agency(Bengaluru): A collective of farmers converged at the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) headquarters this Wednesday, voicing their opposition against the BDA’s proposal to extend the Dr. K Shivaram Karanth Layout into an additional 35 villages. The crux of their contention lies in the authority’s previous land acquisitions for the same project, where compensation to the affected farmers has remained outstanding.
The protesting farmers have made it clear that before any further land is acquired, those who have already surrendered their lands for the layout’s development, which is now poised for allotment, must be adequately compensated. In a direct appeal, a memorandum was submitted to BDA chairman N Jayaram, urging the withdrawal of the plan to acquire approximately 2,000 acres of land intended for the new layout across the eastern and northern sectors of the city.
Mavallipura Srinivas, a prominent social activist among the protesters, highlighted the dire straits farmers find themselves in due to the BDA’s aggressive acquisition of 2,500 acres for the Shivaram Karanth Layout without providing due compensation. He warned of an indefinite dharna should the authorities press forward with their plans for an additional layout.
The farmers’ grievances extend to the valuation method used for compensation, comparing it unfavorably to the more modern and equitable standards adopted by the National Highways Authority of India for the Satellite Town Ring Road (STRR) project. They argue that the BDA’s adherence to outdated compensation frameworks, reminiscent of colonial-era practices, is unjust and unacceptable.
Furthermore, the protesters have signaled their intent to legally contest the BDA’s land acquisition proposal, emphasizing the authority’s failure to fairly compensate previous land acquisitions. The issue of fair compensation was also raised by those who have relinquished land for the Peripheral Ring Road (PRR) project, with one protester lamenting the notification of his seven-acre land for acquisition by multiple agencies, including the BDA and GAIL, without the promise of fair compensation.
