Bengaluru, Jun 17 (PTI) Strongly opposing the final notification to acquire nearly 500 acres for the proposed GBIT near Bidadi, state BJP president B Y Vijayendra on Wednesday accused Chief Minister D K Shivakumar of prioritising real estate over the welfare of farmers and the poor, and demanded that the land acquisition process be halted immediately.
A delegation of BJP leaders, including Vijayendra and Leaders of the opposition in the Assembly and Council, R Ashoka and Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, visited villages around Bidadi to meet farmers protesting against the township project.
“The priority of the CM and the Congress government is not farmers or building houses for the poor. Within 24 hours of taking charge, the CM has shown that this government’s priority is real estate,” Vijayendra claimed.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the visit, he said the BJP strongly condemned and opposed the government’s move to “forcefully and illegally” acquire farmers’ land under the guise of a township at Bidadi.
“The top priority of any government should be to come to the rescue of farmers in distress, but it is unfortunate that Bengaluru’s real estate has become the priority for the CM. On behalf of the BJP, I urge the CM to stop being adamant, listen to the issues faced by farmers and not evict them. I demand that the land acquisition process be immediately dropped,” he added.
The final notification has been issued for the acquisition of 499 acres across three villages in Ramanagara and Harohalli taluks for the Greater Bengaluru Integrated Township, which is among Shivakumar’s ambitious projects—projected as India’s “first AI-powered integrated township”—sources said.
The project is expected to cover 7,481 acres across nine villages in the region. The notification issued recently is likely to be the first in a series of land acquisition notifications to be issued in the days ahead, sources added.
According to reports, the Greater Bengaluru Development Authority (GBDA) has floated a Rs 26-crore tender to appoint a consultant for preparing the master plan, detailed project report (DPR) and providing project management services for the proposed GBIT.
Ahead of the BJP leaders’ visit, posters critical of the BJP and JD(S) were reportedly found at various places near Bidadi.
Responding to the poster campaign, Vijayendra said BJP leaders were not Congress legislators to be intimidated by such threats.
“We have a duty to stand by the farmers of the state. We have a responsibility to become their voice and we are doing it,” he added.
During the visit, BJP leaders met farmers and dairy producers who strongly oppose the Bidadi township project and listened to their grievances.
Ashoka asserted that a “BJP–JD(S) government will come to power in the future and cancel the project.
“We will not allow this project to be implemented even now. When I visited the milk producers’ centre, I learned that six lakh litres of milk are produced daily, generating annual business worth Rs 25 crore. Will Shivakumar give farmers Rs 25 crore every year?” he asked.
Noting that silk-related business in the region generates Rs 35 crore in revenue, he said, “The leaves required for silkworms cannot be imported from abroad. The government must explain what will happen after the silk ecosystem is destroyed.” “There are lakhs of cows here—should they be sent to slaughterhouses? Where will fodder come from? The government casually says it will give Rs 2 crore. But where should farmers go with that money? They cannot buy equivalent land with that amount,” he further said.
Pointing out that the present generation did not want to give up property passed down through generations, Ashoka said, “Have Bidadi farmers applied asking for residential sites? Who are these sites being created for? They will be allotted to people coming from elsewhere, while local farmers will be left destitute.” Referring to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on environmental destruction during his visit to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Ashoka said his own party’s government in Karnataka was destroying agricultural land in Bidadi.
“Rahul Gandhi should come and see this,” he said.
Alleging that agricultural land was being destroyed for the township project, he said, “There are six lakh coconut and arecanut trees here. Mango, sapota, silk, banana and other crops are grown. Farmers’ livelihoods depend on these.” “In Bengaluru, eight lakh sites developed by government agencies and 10 lakh apartments remain vacant. Including private developments, about 20 lakh flats are vacant. Even in Kempegowda Layout and Shivaram Karanth Layout, many sites remain unsold,” he said. PTI KSU SSK
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