SK Layout: BDA faces farmers, land losers' ire

Farmers and those set to lose their land for the Shivaram Karanth Layout and the Peripheral Ring Road (PRR) staged a protest against the government on Tuesday.

Over 100 farmers and land losers gathered at the BDA head office on Monday, demanding that the BDA and the state government give them in writing their decision: whether the layout and the PRR will be formed and when.

Despite orders from the Supreme Court, the BDA has been unable to form the layout and the PRR. Around 90% of the identified 3,546 acres for Shivaram Karanth layout has been developed. Strangely, no development has happened on 1,800 acres of land for the PRR.

BDA Chairman S T Somashekhar said since election code of conduct is in place, nothing can be done.

“I will talk to the chief minister and deputy chief minister and take a decision. The Supreme Court orders are there and land cannot be returned. But final decision will be taken only after the elections,” he said.

Somashekhar said that since most of the BDA officials have been pressed towards election duty, nothing can be discussed with them at this juncture.

But farmers and land losers are not ready to accept. “Our demands and government’s decisions are not new that elections will affect voters. Whatever is the decision of the government, it has to be given to us in writing. We have seen all this since 2008,” said M Jayaram, a land loser for the PRR.

Kodihalli Chandrashekhar, president, Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha, said this is not an election issue. "We had met Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara two-and-a-half months ago on these issues. He assured to get back to us in two days after talking to the CM. We will stay put at BDA head office until something is given to us in writing,” he said.