Farmers oppose Bidadi grand plans

Farmers oppose Bidadi grand plans
The Times of India

Bangalore: A meeting between the farmers of Bidadi and chief minister H D Kumaraswamy over BMRDA’s township project ended in a stalemate on Thursday with farmers refusing to part their lands for the township. Nearly 10,000 acres of land is required for Bidadi township for which land acquisition notices have been issued. Over 50 farmers of Bidadi hobli, Byramangala and Kanchugaranahalli villages, under the aegis of Raita Hitarakshna Samithi, expressed their displeasure over the project.
“The lands are our only source of income and we have been depending on agriculture from generations.’’ farmers said.
Though Kumaraswamy promised the farmers that they will be rehabilitated, the farmers did not listen. “Officials have given wrong information about the lands. Eighty per cent of the lands identified for acquisition are well irrigated, whereas officials have declared them as dry lands. The government should not take up this project at any cost. If they do, then it will result in farmers’ death,’’ they said.
The CM said he had heard the views of farmers and would discuss the issue with officials to arrive at a decision.
Take action against encroachers: panel
Bangalore: Setting up of an exclusive legal authority and a special court to deal with government land encroachment cases, initiating stringent action against land grabbers and erring officials as said in the legislation are some of the recommendations made by the joint house committee of the Legislature on land encroachment survey. The committee, headed by MLA A T Ramaswamy, which presented its interim report to Speaker Krishna, has identified encroachment of government lands to a tune of 13,614.37 acres amounting to Rs 27,377.75 crore. Revenue, BDA and forestlakes departments have lost a huge quantum of their lands.
The committee, which had received 486 complaints, acted on them and inspected various lands and has found that lands belonging to 15 departments have been gobbled up.
Terming the findings as a “tip of the iceberg,’’ Ramaswamy told reporters that the government should deal strictly with the officials who have connived with land grabbers. “Rules have been made stringent in other states and land grabbers are finding it difficult to lay their hands on government lands.”