The Karnataka Government is tackling the complex task of acquiring 85,000 acres for satellite townships around Bengaluru. The Karnataka Housing Board (KHB) needs 10,000 acres for five townships, while the Bangalore Metropolitan Area Development Authority (BMRDA) requires 75,000 acres for its five townships. Balancing development with farmers' interests, as many depend on their land for their livelihoods, is crucial. Challenges include high land costs, scarcity, and potential governance changes. The government is working to build consensus through raitha adalats and innovative compensation models. Despite these efforts, the future of the townships remains uncertain and needs careful management.
To address the growing strain on Bengaluru's infrastructure, the Karnataka government is looking to develop satellite townships around the city. These townships, spread across different areas, are aimed at easing the burden on the state's capital. However, acquiring the vast amount of land needed for these projects has become a major challenge, as most of it is agricultural land owned by farmers. The government is targeting 85,000 acres of land for two key projects, but convincing farmers to part with their land is proving difficult, despite efforts to negotiate a fair solution.
The Karnataka Housing Board (KHB) is spearheading one of the major projects, which involves creating five themed townships. These townships are proposed for different areas around Bengaluru namely Solur (healthcare), Bidadi (cultural), Doddaballapur (manufacturing), Hoskote (IT), and Dabaspet (logistics). For each of these satellite towns, KHB needs around 2,000 acres each township totalling around 10,000 acres, making land acquisition a critical task. To ease the process, Housing Minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan recently held discussions with local MLAs to address farmers' concerns. The minister plans to use 'raitha adalats' (farmers' courts) to build consensus with the farmers.
The second project, proposed by the Bangalore Metropolitan Area Development Authority (BMRDA) in 2006, involves developing five integrated townships in Bidadi, Ramangar, Satnur, Solur, and Nandagudi. Each of these townships requires around 15,000 acres, amounting to a total of 75,000 acres.
Under the Land Acquisition Act, the government must pay four times the market value for rural land. With prices ranging from INR 1 crore to INR 3 crore per acre, compensating farmers at this rate is financially challenging. One proposed solution is a 50:50 compensation model, where farmers would receive half of their compensation in developed land once the townships are completed. However, this requires farmers to wait until the projects are finished. To address this, the government is also considering partial monetary compensation of INR 20 lakh per acre upfront, with the rest paid upon completion of the developed land. Bachegowda indicated that this model could balance immediate needs with long-term benefits, though it will require careful negotiation.
The KHB project is also encountering land scarcity. For example, 2,000 acres initially designated for the Solur township have been reallocated by the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) for its Knowledge City project. Additionally, BMRDA has already allocated 12,000 acres for its integrated townships, further complicating land acquisition for the KHB's projects. Compounding these issues, the future of BMRDA is uncertain due to the proposed Greater Bengaluru Governance Bill, 2024, which could lead to the agency's dissolution and shift responsibility for some townships, potentially causing further delays.
Overall, while developing satellite townships is crucial to relieving Bengaluru's infrastructure burden, balancing this with farmers' interests remains a complex task. The government's efforts to build consensus through raitha adalats and innovative compensation models are ongoing, but with many factors at play, the future of these projects remains uncertain.
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