The state government has notified the acquisition of 1,895 acres in two villages despite ongoing farmer protests.
The Karnataka government has issued the final notification to acquire the remaining 1,895 acres of land in Bairamangala and Kanchugaranahalli for the Greater Bengaluru Integrated Township (GBIT) project. According to reports by The Hindu and Deccan Herald, this completes the final notification process for all nine revenue villages, covering 7,343 acres.
The project, which is estimated to cost Rs 22,000 crore, requires a total of 9,640 acres. The remaining land is owned by the state government. The Greater Bengaluru Development Authority (GBDA) is the implementing agency for the development.
The acquisition comes as farmers have been protesting the project for over 550 days. Prakash H.G., a protesting farmer, told The Hindu that the government issued these notifications before a committee, set up on July 14 to assess the project, had released its report.
Yashwant T, state general secretary of the Karnataka Pranta Raitha Sangha (KPRS), said the government betrayed the trust of the people by issuing notifications without waiting for the committee's recommendations, despite assurances from Chief Minister D K Shivakumar.
A senior GBDA official stated that work has not stopped and that Rs 1,800 crore has been disbursed to approximately 1,480 farmers who voluntarily gave up their land. The authority has also hired a private agency to prepare the development plan before floating tenders for civil works.
