Bengaluru: The ambitious Bengaluru Aerospace Park project, aimed at accommodating hi-tech Aerospace and Defence industries near Kempegowda International Airport at Devanahalli has run into rough weather, with the government deciding to drop acquisition of over 1777 acres of land in 13 villages around Devanahalli.
A decision with this regard was taken during a meeting with the agitating farmers, who are up against the government acquiring their fertile lands and allotting them to industries with the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in Vidhana Soudha.
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah's Statement
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Siddaramaiah said that the government had planned to develop the land into Aerospace Park for encouraging hi-tech industries in the City. For that, land near the International Airport was needed. ``If we don't give the land, the industries will go elsewhere,'' he said.
``However, since the farmers are not willing to give their land, as it would affect their agricultural activities in their fertile land, the government. The government will not forcibly acquire these lands as we have promised earlier to stand by the farmers. If some of the farmers want to volunteer to give up their lands for the Aerospace Park project, we will not only give them more compensation than the guidance value, but also more developed land to the owners,'' Siddaramaiah said.
About The Controversy
The Aerospace project land has been in the middle of controversy for over two years. On one side, the farmers were protesting against the land acquisition at Channarayapattana, in the outskirts of Devanahalli. Even before the acquisition process was complete, the Industries Department had allotted five acres of Civic Amenities (CA) Site to Siddarth Vihar Trust, of which the Chairman is AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge's elder son Rahul Kharge.
An RTI activist Dinesh Kallalli had questioned the process of allotting CA sites in the high security and sensitive areas like Aerospace Park. The Industries department stated that they had received 196 applications, of which 45 were short listed. At the end, Siddharth Vihar Trust.
Though the selection process looked proper, the Industries department failed to answer the question as to how they allotted the land to a Trust, which had no prior experience in the automobile sector was allotted a land to set up a training center in automobile production skill.
The opposition BJP picked up the matter and lodged a complaint with the Governor, seeking a CBI inquiry into the issue. Later, the Trust owned by the Kharge family decided to return the land.
Following the controversy, the farmers intensified the agitation, stating that the government was planning to sell their valuable lands to rich industrialists. They contended that their sole livelihood of agriculture in the fertile land would be ruined as most of the people who had given up the lands for developmental activities were on streets today. Various farmer organisations, including noted South Indian movie actor Prakash Raj supported the agitation. Participation of Prakash Raj and others came as a shocker to the Congress government, as he is a known BJP baiter.
After a lot of failed negotiations, Siddaramaiah held a last meeting with the farmers on Tuesday and announced that the government would not acquire land around Channarayapattan village.
