BENGALURU: Farmers from Vaddarahalli and Thirumagondanahalli have appealed for a realignment of Bengaluru’s proposed circular railway project, citing the need to protect fertile agricultural land.
The South Western Railway has already sanctioned the Final Location Survey (FLS) with the Detailed Project Report expected to be submitted by August. Janardhan Reddy, a farmer, said, “We are making this request because the FLS has been sanctioned and since the DPR is said to be submitted by August, more than 90% of the alignments already made will be finalised.”
He said the alignment should be diverted from fertile farmland to nearby dry land, 2-3 km way. “If there’s a practical way to avoid damage to agricultural land, why not consider it? We request officials to make field visits. They may not be fully aware of the ground reality because decisions are often made using satellite maps,” he said.
He pointed to the intersection of the circular railway project and Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project at Vaddarahalli. “It will affect residential life with trains running in all directions causing noise pollution and other disruptions,” he said.
Reddy noted that only 5-10% of the locality consists of fertile farmland. “The remaining includes dry areas, Nilgiri plantations and others, which can be used for the project,” he said.
Prashanth Kumar, another local farmer, said, “There are already very few farmers and farmlands, and in that little land, why construct a railway track? I request that the alignment be made at least 100 metres away from my farmland where there is dry land and government-owned land. With the compensation money, we can’t get another farmland anywhere,” he said