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Farmers protest land acquisition for Greater Bengaluru suburban project
Farmers protested in Bengaluru against land acquisition for a suburban project, demanding the government scrap the plan to protect their livelihoods.
Farmers on Saturday staged a sit-in protest in front of the office of the Greater Bengaluru Development Authority (GBDA) at the Kandaya Bhavan in Ramanagara district against land acquisition for the Greater Bengaluru Integrated Suburban Project.
The protest was led by farmers from Bhairamangala and Kanchugaranahalli gram panchayat limits who expressed concerns over the loss of their agricultural land and livelihoods. It coincided with a grievance redressal meeting organised by Magadi MLA HC Balakrishna to hear the concerns of farmers from 26 villages identified for land acquisition under the project.
Holding placards and shouting slogans such as “Our land is our right, we will not give it away,” the farmers accused the government of pushing the project without their consent. They demanded the immediate scrapping of the land acquisition process.
Addressing the protesters, MLA HC Balakrishna attempted to pacify them, stating that the project was a government decision. “This is a government project. I do not have the authority to cancel it,” he told the farmers. “However, place your grievances before me. I will convey them to the government and try to find a solution,” he assured.
The farmers, however, remained unconvinced and reiterated their demand that the project be dropped entirely. “We do not want compensation. Leave our land with us,” one of the protesting farmers shouted. When Balakrishna responded that cancelling the project was beyond his powers, tempers flared and the protesters raised slogans against both the MLA and the state government.
As the situation grew increasingly tense, Balakrishna retreated inside the office, while the farmers continued their dharna outside. After some time, the MLA came out again and made another attempt to convince the protesters, but they refused to soften their stand.
“We have cultivated this land for generations. No amount of money can replace it,” Ramanagara farmer leader N Putta swamy told reporters. Another farmer BK Rangappa warned, “If the government forces land acquisition, our agitation will intensify across all affected villages.”
With the protest showing no signs of subsiding, Balakrishna eventually left the premises with the assistance of police personnel. The farmers continued their sit-in, vowing to escalate their protest if the government fails to withdraw the proposed land acquisition.
