CORRODING CORRIDOR

Farmers, land owners suspect motives, threaten suicide

While NICE claims that the lands belonging to the influential have been acquired, but farmers allege that this is not the ground reality

BY OOMMEN JOHN P
DH NEWS SERVICE, BANGALORE:

Land acquisition and compensation is a major concern for the farmers affected by the proposed Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project. The land acquisition has drawn extreme reaction from some farmers and land owners.

While the Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises (NICE), the promoters of the project, claim that land belonging to “influential people” have been acquired for the project, a farmer allege that land belonging to influential people have gone untouched.

“I have no objection to construction of peripheral road to link the proposed Bangalore-Mysore expressway. In fact, I will provide the land free of cost. But NICE has acquired lands for purely real estate development", N Shekar, an agriculturist of Gottigere village in Bangalore South Taluk said. Mr Shekar, whose 2 acre land in Gottigere on Bannerghatta Road, which is in the process of being acquired said that multi-national firms were eyeing his property.

“I will commit suicide if the land is utilised for purposes other than road construction”, he warned. While the market rate for my property is nearly Rs 3 to 4 crore per acre, the compensation offered is a paltry Rs 7 lakh per acre, he said.
The NICE company has come to loot our property, he alleged. “I will neither accept the compensation amount nor will I part with my land”, he said and added that land belonging to influential persons have been spared in the area, he added.

Concurring with his views, Govindappa, another farmer of Gottigere, whose 2.5 acre land is also being earmarked for acquisition said that he too will not part with his land. B Jayakumar of Basavanapura of Bangalore South Taluk said that three acres of his land has been earmarked for acquisition though only 0.75 acre was required for the peripheral road connecting Hosur Road and the expressway. ‘Most of the affected farmers and landowners have approached the High Court seeking a stay to the land acquisition’, Mr Jayakumar said.

“I have been cheated”, says Kempa Ramaiah, a farmer of Madavara village located off Tumkur Road. Land acquired from farmers has been sold to private parties at a higher rate, he claims.

The Government has betrayed us, said Ramaiah, whose 1.75 acre land was acquired for the peripheral road connecting Tumkur Road and the Bangalore-Mysore expressway. Lands have been sold to private parties for sums ranging from Rs 30 to 40 lakh per acre, he said. ‘‘Threats forced me to accept the Rs 10 lakh per acre compensation.’’

Ramaiah is not alone. Several other farmers concur with his views.

“Only 8 acres of land in Madanayakanahalli and Madavara on Tumkur Road are required for the peripheral road, which is a link to the proposed Bangalore-Mysore expressway. But nearly 2,000 acres of land in these two villages are being acquired”, says Gangaraju, an agriculturist and Madavara Taluk Panchayat member, whose 5.75 acres of land in Madavara has been acquired. ‘We have challenged the matter in the Court’, he said.

Though the market value for the land in prime areas of Madavara is around Rs 35-40 lakh per acre, the compensation offered is Rs 10 lakh per acre, he said. Nearly 35 acres of land located close to my property belonging to three farmers which was acquired by Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) after paying a paltry compensation of Rs 10 lakh per acre to the farmers was sold to a private company at Rs 38 lakh per acre. Real estate business is the main intention for the land acquisition, he said. Injustice has been meted out to farmers. ‘We will not tolerate this. Nearly 350-400 farmers of Madanayakanahalli and Madavara will stage a rasta-roko on Tumkur Road next week to protest the land acquisition’, he said.

“We have no objection to taking up of road expansion work. The farmers will willingly part with land for road construction. But the reality is that the landis not utilised for it. Instead, the NICE company, which has acquired several acres of land from farmers is selling it to private parties at higher rate’’, he alleged.

It’s a massive real estate scam, he remarked. Threats by officials have forced several farmers to part with their lands, he alleged. Thimme Gowda and several other farmers of Madavara had no option but to yield to threats from officials to part with their lands. Not only lands, which are closer to the Peripheral road, but a few kilometres away are being acquired, he said.

Another agriculturist, Nagabushan, whose 13 acre land, where areca and other crops are grown, is also being acquired said that the peripheral road was 1.5 km away from his land. ‘There is absolutely no justification in the acquisition’, he said. ‘My land is a highly irrigated area. Why does the Government want to destroy the fertile land?, he asked.