Green costs: Nearly 2 million trees are likely to be cut down for Bidadi AI township

If nine villages in Bidadi are acquired for the AI-powered township project, nearly two million trees will have to be felled to facilitate development.

These include 83,536 arecanut trees, 87,903 coconut palms, 12,550 mango trees and 3,06,506 banana trees, besides 2,344 chikoo trees, about 2,500 rose plants, several custard apple trees and silk fields. The area will also witness crop destruction of jackfruit, ragi, paddy, red gram, cowpea, field bean, maize, groundnut and horse gram. The biggest impact will be on ragi cultivation, which is spread over 231 acres.

This is according to data sourced from an official reply to an RTI query by a famer in the Horticulture Department, Bengaluru South District, a copy of which is with The Hindu and valid from February 2026.

The protesting farmers pointed not only to the extensive destruction of green cover, but also to the loss of the quality of life that farming provided them.

Farmer Nagaraju MR, who is protesting the project, pointed to the data and disputed the government’s claim that farmers in the region are suffering from agricultural losses and that there is no demand for the crops grown there. “Which farmers who are suffering losses continue to grow such a wide variety of crops? The numbers alone indicate how farmers are doing in this region,” he said.

Mr. Nagaraju’s land of over 10 acres in Mandalahalli, one of the nine revenue villages earmarked for acquisition, was included in the recent final notification. Nevertheless, he continued to protest the project.

However, a senior Greater Bengaluru Development Authority (GBDA) official claimed that crop yields from villages in the region are not readily accepted in the markets. “Due to the polluted Byramangala Lake, the quality of the crops is affected, creating a general aversion among traders. They (farmers) are barely earning and the protests are purely political.”

Compensation

According to GBDA documents, the government also compensates farmers for each tree grown on their land, with minimum and maximum rates set for each variety.

For example, for coconut palm, the compensation was set at a minimum of ₹25,000 and a maximum of ₹40,000. For mango trees, the limits have been set at a minimum of ₹45,000 and a maximum of ₹65,000 per tree.

A GBDA official told The Hindu that officials from the horticulture department will determine the amount of compensation. “The department will calculate how much compensation should be paid for each tree based on the criteria set before the project. Before fixing the price, the officials will survey the trees,” the official said.

Among the criteria the department will consider are the age of the tree, its lifespan, yield capacity, soil fertility, past yield data, projected yield potential and the profit the tree is capable of generating for the farmer.

Loss of green cover

Yashavantha T., State General Secretary of the Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha (KPRS), pointed out that the green cover in Bidadi has a significant positive effect on Bengaluru’s weather and serves as an essential green space that is now under threat.

“It is ironic that Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has extended support to Rahul Gandhi, who is campaigning against eco-destructive projects in other parts of the country. However, here in Karnataka, where they are in power, they are carrying out similar eco-destructive projects,” he told The Hindu.

Amid the debate over the loss of green cover, farmers are also highlighting the project’s social impact. They argue that those whose land they acquire will be left without any means of cultivation. They also alleged that the implementing agency avoided conducting a social impact assessment of the project.

Published – 14 Jun 2026 20:58 IST