A large number of farmers and members of several organisations joined the protest against the acquisition of land by the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) for the Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor Project.
The former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda took part in the protest. “We are not against development of the road. But don’t take away lands that are away from the road,” said Ramaiah of Chikkatogur village who reportedly will lose five acres of land that is about a kilometre away from the road.
This land, he said, was ‘inamati’ land given to his grandfather in appreciation of his service of beating drums for death ceremony and laying pits for cremation. “I grow ragi, hurali (horsegram) and alasandi and earn livelihood. This land is being taken away at Rs. 12 lakh an acre,” Mr. Ramaiah said.
C. Muniyappa, another farmer from Chikkatogur, accused the State Government of working in favour of the builder — the Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE). “They (the State Government) are taking away our lands at a paltry price and enabling the builder to sell it in crores of rupees,” he said.
CPI(M) State Secretariat member G.N. Nagaraj said the KIADB was taking away agricultural land and registering it in the name of NICE. “These lands can be given on lease. Farmers will not give their lands in favour of the NICE,” he said.
Accusing the State Government of playing in the hands of land grabbers, Maruti Manpade of Karnataka Pranta Raita Sangha said the Government has started the process of acquiring about 10 lakh acres of agricultural land under various schemes.
S. Raghunath of Bhu Swadeena Virodhi Horata Vedike said the State Government had gone ahead to notify about 7,000 acres of land as against 2,193 acres of land needed for the construction of the road. The State Government was acting against the Frame Work Agreement.
The protesters marched down from the Janata Dal (Secular) party office to the KIADB office on the Nrupatunga Road. Mr. Deve Gowda and farmers withstood the hot sun for more than three hours.
While Mr. Deve Gowda took a sip of tea, the protesters were served with meals and mineral water. A memorandum was submitted to T. Sham Bhatt, the Chief Executive Officer of the KIADB.
