BENGALURU: The govt faces a substantial challenge acquiring land to develop satellite townships around Bengaluru to take the load off the state’s capital. The state needs a staggering 85,000 acres of mostly agricultural land for two major projects, but persuading farmers to relinquish their land is proving difficult.
One project involves Karnataka Housing Board (KHB) which aims to create five theme-based townships in Solur (healthcare), Bidadi (cultural), Doddaballapur (manufacturing), Hoskote (IT), and Dabaspet (logistics). KHB needs 2,000 acres for each of these satellite towns.
Housing minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan met local MLAs last week to address farmers’ concerns. He said he aims to build consensus through ‘raitha adalat’ (farmers’ court).
“We aim to convince farmers to amicably part with their land and we are striving for a balance between development and protection of interests of farmers,” Khan said. “We will draw up a formula for land acquisition and convince farmers during the adalat that the project would hugely benefit them.”
The other project pertains to a 2006 proposal by Bangalore Metropolitan Area Development Authority (BMRDA). This plan involves developing five integrated townships in Bidadi, Ramangar and Satnur in Ramanagara district, Solur near Tumkur-Magadi, and Nandagudi near Hoskote. It requires 15,000 acres per township.
“Both projects need huge tracts making land acquisition a challenge,” said Sharath Bachegowda, Hoskote MLA. “We must find ways to protect livelihoods of farmers. At the same time, the townships are essential since the pressing need is to take the infrastructural load off Bengaluru city. However, land losers cannot suffer in the process.”
Under the Land Acquisition Act, the govt must pay four times the market value for rural land it acquires but with land prices ranging from Rs 1 crore to Rs 3 crore per acre, this is proving financially impractical.
One solution is to offer developed land in a 50:50 ratio as compensation, though this means farmers would have to wait until townships are completed. “To address this, one option is to provide partial monetary compensation of Rs 20 lakh per acre in advance, before farmers receive developed sites. It will require careful negotiation with farmers,” Bachegowda said.
Besides acquisition, KHB’s satellite township project is also facing a problem of land scarcity. For instance, 2,000 acres earmarked in three villages near Nelamangala for the Solur satellite town were recently notified by Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board for its Knowledge City project.
Meanwhile, BMRDA has already allocated 12,000 acres for its own integrated township project. “The housing minister has proposed negotiating with the BMRDA to secure 2,000 acres for the satellite town. However, it is crucial to involve farmers in this process before moving forward,” said Nelamangala MLA Shreenivasaiah. Adding to complexities, the future of BMRDA is uncertain as it may be dissolved if the proposed Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill, 2024 is enacted.
