Bengaluru: Farmers opposing the proposed Bidadi Township on Friday released a report by a panel headed by retired Supreme Court judge Justice V Gopala Gowda that alleged the acquisition of nearly 9,600 acres in Bengaluru South district is illegal. Farmers urged the govt to withdraw the land acquisition notifications and scrap the project.The report, titled ‘Judgement of Public Hearing’, was released by Samyukta Horata Karnataka and Joint Action Committee of Farmers. It said the preliminary and final notifications were issued without legal authority and are therefore void ab initio.Farmers argued that Greater Bengaluru Development Authority, constituted under the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act, has no jurisdiction to acquire land under the Karnataka Urban Development Authorities (KUDA) Act. They argued that only the Ramanagara Urban Development Authority, established under the KUDA Act, is empowered to issue such notifications.The report also alleged that the acquisition was initiated without preparing a mandatory statutory development plan. It said there was no approved master plan demarcating roads, water supply, electricity, parks, playgrounds or other civic infrastructure, making the process contrary to the KUDA Act.It further claimed that mandatory provisions of Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, were ignored.The report says the govt did not conduct a social impact assessment, public hearing, expert appraisal or independent evaluation of public purpose. It also questioned Rule 29-A of Karnataka Rules, alleging it replaces statutory rehabilitation and resettlement benefits with a one-time compensation of up to Rs 5 lakh.The report also flagged environmental violations, stating that the proposed township falls under Category B1 of the Environmental Impact Assessment Notification, 2006, requiring prior environmental clearance. It alleged that no such clearance was obtained before the notifications were issued.The report claims the acquisition includes around 9,600 acres of irrigated farmland with more than four lakh coconut trees, over 10 lakh trees, nearly 2,000 acres of mulberry cultivation and extensive vegetable farms. It said the region’s dairy sector supplies around 1.5 lakh litres of milk to Bengaluru every day.It claimed most affected farmers opposed the project and that the few instances of consent cited by authorities were obtained under fear and confusion rather than through free and informed agreement.
