Addressing mediapersons on Saturday, Somanna said around 420.5 acre was acquired in the adjoining villages and instead of a compensation of Rs six lakh per acre, as decided earlier, the department would grant sites to the land owners anywhere in the layout. Those who part with one acre of land will be given 30x40 ft sites, and those who give half-an-acre will be given 20x30 ft sites. The land owners also have the luxury of free registration, he added.

KHB, which had acquired the land in 2007, is yet to take possession of the same. The minister said the Horticulture department had been instructed to award compensation to those land owners who had lost trees to the housing project.

Attacking Governor H R Bhardwaj, Somanna said Karnataka was facing a political crisis due to the Governor's "continuous intervention". "Those who believe in democracy will not make attempts to destabilise a government. I have seen many governors, but none like the present one," he said. "The JD(S) leaders have brainwashed Siddaramaiah into believing that he will become the next chief minister. As a result, he is trying his best to dislodge the BJP government,” he said and added that people were aware of the intentions of former prime minister Deve Gowda and H D Kumaraswamy.

Terming Speaker K G Bopaiah’s action to disqualify the rebel BJP MLAs last year as wrong would amount to saying that the decision of the High Court Bench, which upheld the Speaker’s decision, was also wrong, said Somanna.