BENGALURU: The Peripheral Ring Road (PRR) Raitha Haagu Niveshanadarara Sangha (PRR Farmers and Site Owners Association) has called upon its members to initiate a mass legal action against the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), opposing the manner in which the authority is proceeding with the Peripheral Ring Road project, particularly the disbursement of compensation.
At a meeting held on Saturday to address concerns and to clarify doubts related to compensation, association president Srinivas Mavallipura said BDA is going ahead with compensation payouts despite farmers’ long-standing demand for a comprehensive rehabilitation framework.
“While our demand for a rehabilitation law remains unresolved, all members of our association will file cases against BDA, seeking either cancellation of the project, implementation in accordance with the Central government’s Land Acquisition Act, 2013, or the issuance of no-objection certificates (NOCs),” he said.
Mavallipura noted that a few landowners were voluntarily parting with their land, but clarified that this was limited to cases involving small landholdings. Alleging coercive practices, he claimed that BDA officials were misleading farmers with false assurances and pressuring them to sign “settlement” letters.
“Despite hundreds of cases pending before the High Court, BDA officials are acting with disregard for the judiciary and attempting to suppress farmers through unethical means. We will discuss bringing these instances to the court’s notice,” he said.
The association reiterated that it rejects all five compensation options offered by BDA and demanded that compensation be determined strictly under the provisions of the 2013 Act. At the same time, it clarified that farmers are not opposed to the PRR project itself, but are resisting what they described as unfair and inadequate compensation.