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The Karnataka government issued a final notification on 13 June 2026 for the acquisition of 516 acres of agricultural land in Bidadi, Ramanagara district, for the proposed Greater Bengaluru Integrated Township — envisioned as India's first AI-powered city and estimated at INR 18,133 crore. The move, pushed through despite sustained opposition from farming communities in Byramangala and Kanchugaranahalli panchayats, has drawn sharp political condemnation from Union Minister and JD(S) president H.D. Kumaraswamy, who announced a legal challenge and called on Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar to visit the affected villages personally.
The Karnataka government pressed ahead with the final land acquisition notification for the Greater Bengaluru Integrated Township (GBIT) project near Bidadi on 13 June 2026, triggering a sharp political confrontation with opposition parties rallying behind agitating farmers who have been protesting the acquisition for over 200 days.
The final notification covers 516 acres of agricultural land across the Byramangala and Kanchugaranahalli village panchayats in Ramanagara district, roughly 25 km from Bengaluru. The GBIT, touted as a second central business district for the city and India's first AI-powered integrated township, is proposed to eventually span 9,600 acres and is estimated to cost INR 18,133 crore. The Greater Bengaluru Development Authority (GBDA) had issued a preliminary notification in March 2025, affecting approximately 10,450 landowners, before the government issued its final order this week.
Union Minister and JD(S) president H.D. Kumaraswamy, on 13 June 2026, strongly condemned the Congress government's decision and announced that a legal challenge would be mounted against what he described as an anti-farmer move. He challenged Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar to personally visit the affected villages and determine whether the landowners whose properties have been notified for acquisition actually support the government's position. Kumaraswamy claimed that between 80 and 90 per cent of farmers in the region opposed the project and that only a handful of vested interests were in favour of the township. He further contended that the elected representatives who voted in favour of the project had betrayed the very villagers who had elected them.
Kumaraswamy also questioned the government's choice of land, urging it to identify barren or dry tracts elsewhere rather than acquiring fertile agricultural land that families had depended upon for generations. He criticised Home Minister Priyank Kharge for reportedly asking farmers to pursue their grievances through the courts rather than addressing their concerns directly. The BJP also extended its support to the agitating farmers, intensifying the political pressure on the ruling Congress government.
Farmers from Byramangala and Kanchugaranahalli have been staging a continuous sit-in protest since March, drawing comparisons with the Devanahalli farmers' agitation — a 1,198-day protest that had compelled the government to withdraw a proposal to acquire 1,777 acres for an aeropark. Farmers allege that no gram sabha consultations were held, no district officer visited the land to assess its fertility, and that the acquisition process bypassed the consent requirements under land acquisition law. Several farmers pointed out that the land being acquired is fertile and multi-crop, and that there is no alternative livelihood available to them.
Chief Minister Shivakumar, who has consistently defended the project, previously claimed that as many as 70 per cent of landowners had already sought compensation, indicating their consent. Under the state government's compensation framework, affected farmers are offered either 50 per cent of developed residential land or 45 per cent of commercial land per acre, along with monetary compensation and annual financial support during the development phase. Shivakumar has also ruled out denotification, stating that existing law does not permit a special carve-out for Bidadi alone without setting a precedent across the state.
Protesting farmers have indicated plans to bring in farmer unions from Punjab and Uttar Pradesh to join them in Bidadi, with a joint meeting scheduled for 16 June 2026 to chalk out the next course of action.
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