Karnataka - Hassan   

Gundia project: farmers seek better relief

HASSAN: Most of the people to be affected by the Gundia project on Wednesday demanded that they be paid Rs. 25 lakh an acre of land to be acquired.

At a public hearing organised by Deputy Commissioner Naveen Raj Singh at Hongadahalla village in Sakleshpur taluk in the district, some of them even sought compensation for the encroached forest land they are cultivating.

Siddaramaiah from the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board was present.

Raju Gowda, farmer, stressed the need to utilise water from the rivers that originated in the Western Ghats for development purpose.

At the same time, the people to be affected by the project should be compensated properly. A total of 900 families living in Hongadahalla should be rehabilitated, he said.

Deepak from J.D. Halli wanted a separate body to be created for rehabilitation and land acquisition. There should be a single window system to help farmers. Jobs should be given to the affected people, he said.

Gram Panchayat member A.S. Chandrasekhar said five gram panchayats had opposed the project in view of the threat to the fragile eco-system of the Western Ghats.

H. Dharmaraju, social worker, said that the project was for the development of the region. Hence, people should not oppose it in the name of environment protection.

Editor of Hassan Mithra Y.P. Raje Gowda said that the State needed 10,000 MW of power while the availability was 4500 MW.

He wanted the affected people to be rehabilitated properly. He suggested for payment of a compensation of Rs. 5 lakh for an acre of encroached land being cultivated and Rs. 25 lakh an acre of land owned by farmers.

Virupaksha Baligere, farmer, appealed to the people not to oppose the project.

A.N. Lokesh of Mathhihalli village said that he was ready to part with his 25 acres of land.

Devaraj Hethhur, who opposed the project, wanted the Government to make its stand clear on compensation to be paid, employment to be given to the affected people and the area that would be submerged.

The former Hassan District Congress Committee president Hemmige Mohan, who too opposed the project, wanted a special package for the development of the villages to be affected by the project.

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Gundia project: farmers seek better relief

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