Bengaluru: Agitating farmers halt work at KG Layout

A total of 2,500 acres, from nearly 2,000 farmers, were acquired to form this layout, said a top BDA official.
Infrastructure work came to a standstill at KG layout due to agitation by farmers  |Express
Infrastructure work came to a standstill at KG layout due to agitation by farmers |Express

BENGALURU:  Some farmers who handed over their lands to Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) for formation of Nadaprabhu Kempe Gowda Layout, are staging an indefinite dharna on a plot of land in Komaghatta, and have stalled development work taken up in the area for six days now.The BDA has filed a written complaint against the agitators at the local police station, but cops say action cannot be taken immediately, as their staff is busy with election duty. 

A total of 2,500 acres, from nearly 2,000 farmers, were acquired to form this layout, said a top BDA official. “Barring a few landowners who approached court, the rest have been paid compensation in the form of cash or developed land, as per their preference. Expressing dissatisfaction, they are now stalling work being done here.”

The striking farmers have put up a shamiana and sit on dharna from 10am to 7pm on rotation basis. Leading the agitation is Channappa, president of the Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Badavane Raitha Para Horata Samithi, an association formed to protect farmers’ rights in the layout. Speaking to TNIE, he alleged that farmers had to pay bribes to register the sites obtained from BDA. “We will sit here on an indefinite dharna, until all our problems are solved. Despite being here since Friday, no top BDA official has come to talk to us,” he said. 

Dissatisfaction with the sites allotted to them has spurred some farmers to join the protest. “In the case of KG Layout, BDA is offering 11,978 sqft of developed land in exchange for an acre (nearly 43,000 sqft). Though we are giving developed land, some farmers do not understand its value and are comparing the exact dimensions and feel they have been handed a raw deal,” said a BDA official. 

‘Work at a standstill’
Meanwhile, AS Surya Kiran, member of the NKPL Open Forum, which represents 10,000 site allottees of Phase-II, expressed concern over work coming to a standstill. “This stoppage of infrastructure work is causing us a lot of tension. One bank has already issued notices to Phase-I allottees, asking them for payment.”   

BDA Commissioner Rakesh Singh told TNIE, “Let the farmers approach us with individual complaints. We will do our best to redress whatever we can, which is permissible under the model code of conduct in place for the elections.” 

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