The Hindu : Karnataka News : Row over acquisition of farmland for industries

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Friday, Jun 27, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka

Row over acquisition of farmland for industries

R. Krishna Kumar

Farmers in Nanjangud taluk unable to cultivate their land owing to the uncertainty over land acquisition

Irrigated land allotted for textile park and other units
It will affect 1,500 people directly dependent on agriculture

— PHOTO: M.A. SRIRAM

Opposition: People of Adakanahalli in Nanjangud taluk have vowed not to allow the alienation of their agricultural land and resolved to fight the KIADB.

MYSORE: Farmers in Nanjangud taluk are peeved over the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board’s (KIADB) move to acquire nearly 1,500 acres of prime agricultural land — irrigated by Varuna Canal — to promote industries.

The irrigated land has been allotted for establishing textile park and other units. The Government has spent crores of rupees to extend irrigation facility, including construction of the Varuna canal, to channelise water for cultivation of crops.

As a result, farmers in the region are unable to pursue agricultural activity given the uncertainty over the future of the land which has been demarcated for industrial purpose. “The KIADB officials have pressured us to vacate the land and issued notices to us. We are unable to take up cultivation given the question mark over our future,” said Manjunath, whose joint family together own 35 acres of land that has been identified for the textile park.

The notified land covers Kadakola, Kochanahalli, Ulimavu, Adakanahalli and Tandavpura among others and will affect about 1,500 people entirely dependent on agriculture.

The land was acquired for Fab City, but when the project shifted to Hyderabad, the authorities decided to establish a textile park. In addition, a few private players have acquired 350 acres of land for establishing a golf course and the earlier land owners have now been employed as labourers in the private venture which is yet to take off. Recently, a team comprising members of the Mysore Industries Association and farmers of the Karnataka Rajya Raita Sangha surveyed the area which has been identified as industrial zone and found that prime agricultural land lush green with crops and well-irrigated by the Varuna canal, has been identified for conversion for industrial purposes. “Though we are industrialists, we felt sorry for the farmers and are against taking over of agricultural land for industrial purposes, more so if it is irrigated land,” said Suresh Kumar Jain, general secretary of the Mysore Industries Association.

Sources said the land was cleared for industrial purposes by the State-level single window agency based in Bangalore under the Karnataka Udyog Mitra. Meanwhile, farmers in the region have categorically stated that they would not give up their land irrespective of the price offered by the Government.

The farmers’ anger stems from the fact that their livelihood has been sacrificed at the altar of industrialisation without taking them into confidence.

The move comes at a time when the agricultural activity is set to gain momentum with the onset of southwest monsoon.

What has peeved the farmers is that the decision was in violation of certain observations made by the Karnataka High Court and they were in the nature of strictures against the Government and was reflective of the functioning of the KIADB.

The court had noted that Cabinet approval was not being taken before initiating acquisition of large area of land nor was the Government conducting the impact on environment and ecology as required by the law.

Following the High Court’s observations, the Ministry of Large and Medium Scale Industries, senior officials of the KIADB and others met in the first week of June “to get the adverse observations of the Court expunged.”

With regard to the court’s observation that environmental clearance are not obtained by the KIADB, it was noted that as per the notification of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, industrial estates, parks and complexes requiring less than 500 hectares or 1,250 acres do not require environmental clearance and hence justified its move to acquire land for industrial development.

Meanwhile, the gathering storm at Adakanahalli and surrounding villages threatens to spill out and engulf the neighbouring areas as farmers have begun to organise themselves against forced eviction from their land.

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