Karnataka Issues Final Land Notification for Bidadi Project Amid Ongoing Farmers' Protest

The Karnataka government on Wednesday issued the final notification for the acquisition of 4,944.49 acres of land across four villages near Bidadi for the Greater Bengaluru Integrated Township (GBIT) project, commonly known as the Bidadi Township Project. This is the largest single tranche of land notified so far, surpassing the initial notification of 518.45 acres in three villages.

The development came hours after Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar announced the formation of a committee to examine the project's merits and demerits. Meanwhile, the farmers' protest against the project at Bairamangala in Bidadi has been ongoing for nearly 500 days.

The final notification covers four revenue villages: K.G. Gollarapalya, Bannigiri, Aralalusandra, and Hosuru. Of the total area, 4,717.96 acres is farmland. Hosuru accounts for 2,390.12 acres, while Aralalusandra covers 1,460.21 acres. This is the second of three sets of villages to be notified for the project.

With this notification, the government has now issued final notifications for the acquisition of 5,462 acres across seven villages. The project requires a total of 9,600 acres spread across nine revenue villages and 16 non-revenue villages. The two villages where final notification is pending are Bairamangala and Kanchugaranahalli.

A senior official from the Greater Bengaluru Development Authority (GBDA) stated that consent from the required percentage of stakeholders has been obtained and that work will continue even as the project assessment is carried out. 'A lot of farmers are coming to our office demanding faster notification of their land and release of compensation. So, for them, we must continue the work,' the official said. 'Those who don't want to part with their land, we won't force them. Whoever is willing to give their land, we will release compensation to them and continue our work.'