Farmers and villagers, who would lose their land for the long-pending Peripheral Ring Road (PRR) project, staged a protest at Byalakere on Wednesday demanding higher compensation and asked officials not to continue the survey work till their demands are met.
The Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA) needs 1,810 acres to implement the 65-km road project, which will have a width of 100 metres. It will connect Tumakuru Road with Hosur Road cutting across Ballari Road and Old Madras Road. It was conceived nearly 15 years ago, and properties were notified for the project in 2005.
Farmers are worried that the BDA will renege on its promise of fair compensation. “We have suffered all these years as there was uncertainty over the project,” said a farmer.
Raghu, a farmer who was part of the protest, said, “Earlier, the State government and higher officials had promised good compensation to farmers. The government had allocated ₹8,100 crore for the purpose, but now there are reports that it has been reduced to around ₹5,700 crore. We are demanding compensation as per the market price, and not as per the guidance value. In the past, the BDA had had written to the government not to increase the guidance value in certain areas citing increase in land acquisition cost for the project.”
Officials dismissed their concerns.
“We had allowed the BDA to carry out the survey work after being promised good compensation. We will allow survey work only after we get an assurance in this regard,” said another farmer.
Given the mood on the ground, the BDA has been conducting the survey with police protection. In some places, demarcation stones installed to identify the land have been removed by the property owners, said officials.
K. Mathai, Special Land Acquisition Office for the PRR project, said, “We have completed the survey for a stretch of almost 20 km. We attended to the grievances of farmers on Wednesday, and will appraise the Chief Secretary during the meeting on Friday.”
