Legal Battle On Cards From JDS Over Bidadi Township Project
Taking their views into consideration, Kumaraswamy said “I committed on the floor of the Assembly that no works will proceed without the permission of farmers to be affected. Everything is on records.”
BENGALURU: As many as 4, 500 farmers in the Bidadi Integrated Township Project vicinity falling under Bengaluru South district have opposed the project and the number of farmers opposing the project accounts to about 90 percent. So far the State Government has not responded to their objections, stated Union Minister of Large Scale Industries and State Janata Dal Secular (JDS) president H.D. Kumaraswamy.
He at a press conference in Bengaluru on Monday stated the JDS is committed to safeguard the interests of farmers of Bidadi and gathering details to wage a legal battle against land acquisition for Township at Bidadi project. “Ultimately we have to knock on the doors of the High Court,” said the Union Minister since Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar is hell bent on the project by acquiring about 7, 481 acres between Bidadi and Harohalli in Bengaluru South.
In reply to a question that only 11 percent of Bidadi farmers oppose the Township project as per an official data, Kumaraswamy said “That’s their assumption.”
Explaining the background of the initiation of the Bidadi project, Kumaraswamy said the project was initiated when I was the Chief Minister heading JDS-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance project in 2007 and it was when then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh heading Congress party led United Front Alliance (UPA) asked the Chief Secretaries of States to go for Special Economic Zones and Townships.
“I as a Chief Minister initiated the Bidadi Township project along with similar projects near Hosakote, Devanahalli, Solar in Magadi, Sathanur in Kanakapura and Ramanagara kasaba hobli,” he said and pointed out after the initiation of the project, Congress leaders including Siddaramaiah, Mallikarjun Kharge, D.K. Shivakumar, Dharam Singh among others vehemently opposed the project.
Taking their views into consideration, Kumaraswamy said “I committed on the floor of the Assembly that no works will proceed without the permission of farmers to be affected. Everything is on records.”
Now, he said, Chief Minister Shivakumar is keen on implementation of the project “illegally” and efforts are on from the State Government to scuttle the unity of farmers.