Land acquisition in Bidadi: GBDA figures claim over 80% approval, farmers dispute figures

According to the data, all 1,383 people who objected to the project attended the hearing, and 503 of them subsequently expressed their approval. | Photo credit: ALLEN EGENUSE J.

Official Greater Bengaluru Development Authority (GBDA) data accessed by The Hindu claims that more than 80% of farmers have given their consent to subdivide their land in Bidadi However, farmers say the data is misleading.

After the preliminary notice was issued at the beginning of this year, 1,383 objections were received, according to the data. The total land owned by the objectors was 2,248 acres, while the total land demanded from the farmers is 7,295.15 acres. So, about 30.82% of the land owners initially protested against the project.

After the preliminary notice, a review hearing on the objections was conducted. According to the data, all 1,383 people who objected to the project attended the hearing, and 503 of them subsequently expressed their approval. After the hearing, the extent of land owned by those who continue to object to the project has been reduced to 1,234.03 acres, representing 16.91% of the total land proposed for acquisition.

Nagaraj Ganakal, Chairman, GBDA, told The Hindu that these figures were presented to Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, after which he announced that more than 80% of the landowners had agreed to share their land.

However, Prakash G., a leader among the protesting farmers, told The Hindu that he has records of protesting farmers who collectively own more than 4,000 acres of land. “Let the data be released publicly. They are only presenting distorted numbers to mislead people and demoralize us,” he said.

Nagaraju MR, a farmer from Mandalahalli, alleged that the figures were miscalculated by the GBDA by considering only a single survey number belonging to a landowner who objected to the project, even though the individual owns several plots.

“When we filed objections, we mentioned the survey numbers individually and did not mention the total extent of land owned by individual persons. While calculating the total area owned by the farmer, they considered only one survey number, which is a wrong calculation,” he said.

However, speaking to The Hindu, a senior GBDA official dismissed Mr. Nagaraju’s claim and said that the calculations were accurate and had been verified several times.

Acquisition and compensation

According to a senior GBDA official, both preliminary and final notices have been issued under the Karnataka Urban Development Authorities Act, while the compensation is provided under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Restoration and Resettlement (RFCTLARR) Act, 2013.

The government will provide livelihood support from the date of the last notification until the cash compensation is paid or the built-up areas are handed over. Land owners will receive financial assistance ranging from ₹ 25,000 to ₹ 50,000 depending on the type of land.

Yashavantha T., state general secretary of the Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha (KPRS), alleged that the GBDA avoided conducting a social impact assessment by invoking two different laws for land acquisition. According to him, this allowed the office to bypass some procedures.

GBDA officials denied the allegations and claimed that the decision to apply the two laws was made to ensure procedural consistency while addressing loopholes in both laws.

Published – 12 Jun 2026 22:01 IST