Farmers up against land acquisition

They have put up boards declaring they will not part with their land

The Hindu, July 6

Farmers owning land around Mysore have adopted a novel approach to resist acquisition of their land for industrial and urban development purposes. Launching a movement against the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB), which has issued preliminary notification for acquiring an estimated 7,500 acres of land around Mysore, the Bhoomi Thayi Horata Samithi, an organisation of farmers, has put up declaration boards at three zones bearing a firm message that they will not part with their land, come what may.

Under a headline “Raitharinda Suchane” (A notice from farmers), the board in Mogaralli in Belagola on the Mysore-KRS Road defiantly declares in Kannada: “This land is ours. It is the source of our livelihood. We will not give it for special economic zone, industrial development or urban development…” Two similar boards were unveiled at Maidanahalli in Yelwala hobli on the outskirts of Mysore and Kempasiddanhundi in Kadakola near here. The samithi, which enjoys the patronage of Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS), Sarvodaya Karnataka and Dalit Sangharsh Samithi (DSS), has been organising meetings among the farmers to create an awareness against government policies on industrial and urban development that are inimical to the interests of farmers.

Apart from opposing land acquisition by KIADB for industrial purposes, the samithi is fighting against land acquisition by Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) for creation of new residential layouts. In addition to the estimated 7,500 acres of land proposed to be acquired by KIADB, 2,800 acres of land is being acquired by MUDA.

The large-scale acquisition of land in and around Mysore for industrial as well as residential purposes began after the city was projected as an ideal destination for industrial investment, particularly in information technology, in the wake of the crumbling infrastructure in Bangalore.

“We are not starting a revolution. A movement against acquisition of farmland is going on all over the country. The farmers of Mysore region are only joining the movement,” KRRS leader and samithi representative Badagalpura Nagendra told The Hindu.

Laiqh A. Khan in Mysore