Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha leader Kodihalli Chandrashekar has rejected the State government’s proposal to give developed land as compensation in return for farmland for the Peripheral Ring Road project that will connect Hosur Road to Tumkur Road via Bellary Road.
The government has proposed to give 25 per cent of the land acquired from farmers back to them in the form of developed land as compensation. The logic behind this move is that the construction of the ring road would escalate the prices of land in the region. And consequently, the return of 25 per cent of land, developed by the government, would more than make up for land lost by the farmers.
Terming this an “unscientific” move, Mr. Chandrashekar said at a press conference here on Friday, “Builders are willing to pay between Rs. 3 crore and Rs. 5 crore for the same land. That’s how much we want as compensation. Forget about land in return for land.”
He said the KRRS would gather thousands of farmers, who support their stand, and take out a motorcycle rally to the Chief Minister’s office on August 8. “We hope Siddaramaiah will give us a patient hearing,” he said.
He also expressed fears that the land-for-land scheme would give rise to another flood of irregularities. “Vested interests in the government will delay the release of the compensatory land. This will give builders a chance to exploit the farmers’ desperation and purchase the land from them at throwaway prices. When the compensation eventually arrives, the builders who purchased the land from the farmers will be the beneficiaries.”
Blatant attempt
Mr. Chandrashekar lashed out at the Congress-led UPA government for seeking to amend the Right to Information Act. The Union Cabinet on Thursday cleared a proposal to keep political parties out of the ambit of RTI queries.
“We know that several politicians and political parties receive huge sums of money from vested interests. This move to block RTI queries is a blatant attempt to prevent public scrutiny of political parties,” he said.
