L J Ravi 
State government, yielding to farmers’ struggle, cancels Devanahalli land acquisition
Bengaluru : The state government, finally yielding to the farmers’ struggle, has cancelled the notification with immediate effect, abandoning the land acquisition process related to the establishment of a high-tech defense and aerospace park in Channarayapatna hobli of Devanahalli taluk in Bengaluru Rural district.
With this, the struggle of the Annadatas, who had been protesting to save their land for the past several months, has won. An important meeting was held today at the Vidhana Soudha Assembly Hall under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. The meeting was attended by Ministers M.B. Patil, K.H. Muniyappa, H.K. Patil, Krishna Bhairegowda, Priyanka Kharge, Bhairati Suresh, Chief Minister’s Political Secretary Nasir Ahad, Legal Advisor Ponnanna, Advocate General Shashikirana Shetty, farmer leader Chukki Nanjundaswamy, actor Prakash Raj, Badagalapura Nagendra, and Devanahalli farmer leaders. The state government had proposed to acquire land for the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Corporation (KIADB) to establish a high-tech defense and aerospace park on a total of 1777 acres of land in Channarayapatna. The farmers had strongly opposed this and had campaigned saying that they would not give us valuable land for any reason. Despite holding four meetings, it was not fruitful.
Finally, today, CM Siddaramaiah, after consulting ministers and legal experts, personally announced that he would abandon the land acquisition process and cancel the previous notification. In the previous meeting, two groups had formed among the farmers regarding the land allocation. One group agreed to provide the land, while the other group opposed it.
The CM, who held a meeting with the farmer leaders in this regard, has responded to the farmers’ demand. He has announced that they have given up on land acquisition. Speaking later, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that if the farmers voluntarily come forward to provide the land, we will take it on the basis of an agreement. We need industry to grow. He said that we will provide appropriate compensation to the farmers who give land. We are canceling the previous notification. This has been welcomed by the farmers and activists. He said that the notification was canceled because there is agricultural land near Bangalore, and this decision does not apply to everything. We have dropped the denotification of 1,777 acres. But if the landowners come forward to give land voluntarily, we will buy it. We will not buy it forcibly. We hope that industries should come to the state. The Chief Minister said that the government’s decision is limited to the Devanahalli area only.
