By There are seemingly many insurmountable issues that confront the implementation of public projects undertaken by the government through its nodal agencies like Karnataka Industries Development Board, Bangalore Development Authority and Bangalore Metropolitan Development Authority. The most controversial aspect appears to be acquisition of land.

It is mandatory under Article 41 of the Constitution to make public the salient features of projects, detailing the object, places, areas, and extent covered, beneficiaries, date of commencement and completion of projects to elicit public opinion. However, on finding the feasibility, the government has the authority to take up such projects.

Next comes the question of acquisition of land required for the project. It pains anybody to surrender ones land as one will be in possession of it for years or would have acquired the property putting ones entire life savings. In most of the cases, the land is one’s only asset.

Exploitation
Compensation for the surrender of the land would lose its significance in recent years. It would not be commensurate with the market price. Moreover, the days of acquiring a few acres of land for a small project in a fair manner are over. Houses, sites in residential areas and layouts legally formed are also being acquired. Lands acquired much in excess of the requirement have come to light, as pointed out by the high court in the recent KIDB case. A person, who surrenders his land cannot think of purchasing another land in any place around Bangalore. The loser can’t afford to pay the market price.

Mega projects around Bangalore mean untold hardship and sleepless night for the land loser. Under such circumstances, taking up major projects involving large scale land acquisition, including houses and sites, invariably lead to litigation and strong protest. It is unfortunate that the government is contemplating to take up big projects viz-a-viz the Peripheral Ring Road connecting Tumkur Road, Old Madras Road, Hosur Road, involving acquisition of 1,909 acres of land for a stretch of 64 km of road.

The entire land required for the project falls well within the expanded Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike. Going by the statistics the BDA has furnished in respect of Arkavathi Layout, (2,700 acres of land and 20,000 sites) about 14,500 sites could be formed out of the land intended for acquisition for this project. Acquisition throws thousands of families out of their shelters and causes unprecedented spurt in the inflow of traffic.
People often complain that there is no transparency in acquisition, deletion, deviation, etc while executing the projects. A survey conducted on the basis of the original notification for acquisition of land near Harohalli hobli (Yelahanka) was modified in subsequent notifications to delete certain patches of land.

Manipulations
It is reported that the original route was deviated to favour a few influential bigwigs to save their lands in the neighbourhood. Even in its second attempt, it is alleged a major road of eight lane, two service lanes and a lane for metro has been allowed to take a curved route instead of running straight. When the major part of the road was planned to run on the vast track of residential land, the road could have been continued straight to the agricultural land to join Bellary Road, rather than taking a deviation. Political pressure is exerted at every level to save the lands of the vested interests.

The common man has been made a scapegoat in the name of the project and his family is thrown out of his land without any reason.

Successive revenue ministers of Karnataka have said that more than 2.85 lakh acres of government land around Bangalore have been fraudulently taken away by unscrupulous people with the connivance of a few politicians, bureaucrats and officials but the legislative committee headed by A T Ramaswamy, to investigate, was able to lay hands on only about 21,000 acres as the land records and revenue records have been tampered with. Besides, because of the powerful forces at work, the people are afraid of giving information to the legislative committee. This being the situation, the common man’s land is being forcibly taken in the name of new projects.