Government will proceed with Bidadi township: Deputy CM Shivakumar

Ramanagara (Karnataka), Sep 4 (PTI) Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday said the state government will proceed with the Bidadi Township.

He said he was not ready to go to jail like former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa by notifying lands for the project.

Addressing farmers protesting at the DC's office against land acquisition, he noted that he is also from Ramanagara district and reminded them of the 16,000 acres acquired earlier for the Bidadi industrial area, where several companies, including Toyota, set up factories. He added that he personally lost 12 acres of land for the industrial area.

Shivakumar said there had been discussions about borrowing Rs 10,000 crore to provide fair compensation to farmers.

He clarified that no additional land needs to be acquired, but lands already notified cannot be released as per the law.

About 70 per cent of landowners, including Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy's wife and son, have sought compensation, indicating consent for acquisition, while 30 per cent are yet to give consent, Shivakumar noted.

The DCM explained that there is no legal provision to make a special decision for Bidadi, as any such move would set a precedent across the state.

Shivakumar highlighted that former MP and his brother DK Suresh and MLA H C Balakrishna have been actively working to support farmers.

He also noted that land acquisition plans are in place for the Upper Krishna and Mekedatu projects, while compensation is being paid for the Rs 27,000 crore Peripheral Ring Road project. PTI GMS SA