BENGALURU: “I have already lost two acres to land acquisition in 2018-19 for the Defence and Aerospace Park, notified in 2014. Now, they are trying to take away the 1.5 acres I am only left with,” said Jagadish, a distressed farmer from Polanahalli in Channarayapatna Hobli, Devanahalli taluk.
His anguish is shared by hundreds of farmers across 13 villages, who have received notices from the KIADB for acquiring 1,777 acres for the Defence and Aeropsace Park project.
During a visit to these farmlands, TNIE witnessed one sentiment resonating through the region, “We will die if we have to, but we will not let our land go.” They say they have lost their livelihood after giving away their land for earlier projects.
Jagadish said, “The government promised Rs 1.1 crore per acre. I got only Rs 80 lakh, and that too two years late, in 2020. They cited documentation issues while in reality it was just a reason to delay the compensation and we were also coerced into paying bribes to agents who take commission from our compensation after receiving it.”
Farmer leader Ramesh Cheemachanahalli alleged that of the 1,282 acres acquired earlier, land was later allotted to private entities such as Brigade Builders (73 acres), Chanakya University (116 acres), IFFCO Nano Urea (13 acres) and the Exide battery factory (82 acres), raising questions about the original intent behind the acquisition.
In Mattabaralu, Parvathamma, another affected farmer, expressed disappointment with the CM and said, “Siddaramaiah had promised to cancel the notifications if he came to power. But nothing has been done.”
Karalli Srinivas, Dalit leader and convener of the Land Acquisition Resistance Committee, said, “The intensity of the protest is because farmers now see the reality. Those who gave up land are suffering — no jobs, no livelihood. All they knew was farming and now they are labourers in someone else’s land.”
The farmers and activists have declared that their protest will continue, no matter how long it takes. Affected residents from 13 villages in Channarayapatna will observe a day-long fast at the Devanahalli protest site on Wednesday. With the slogan “Our lives are in this land, the future of the children of this soil is in your hands,” the fast is aimed at urging the government to reject the land acquisition plan during its special Cabinet meeting.