The progress on the much-delayed Arkavathy Layout formation came to an abrupt halt hours after it commenced on March 21 at Jakkur.
Poor planning and perhaps, as members suggest, “purposeful intent” to delay the project seems to be the prime reasons for the surge in protests by farmers who have not received sites as promised to them.
In a dramatic turn of events, the final inspection and ground work for the formation of the layout was stopped due to farmers agitating at various locations in the villages of North Bangalore.
According to BDA officials, the matter has now resulted in an abrupt halt of work.
“But this is a minor problem. It will be sorted out in the next 15 days,” said an official.
The official added that the matter has been taken up by a team led by the BDA Deputy Commissioner (Land Acquisition) to discuss it with the farmers who have allegedly been wronged.
However, not buying the argument that the BDA was caught unawares by the agitation, the allottees have now approached the chief minister’s office asking him to intervene in the matter.
“We have written a letter to the chief minister asking him to intervene in the issue. We are not sure whether the problem of farmers agitating at the spot was spontaneous or was planned beforehand. But we suspect something fishy,” said Arkavathy Layout Allottees’ Association, secretary, Sanjay Marlecha.
The allottees said the problem arose since the BDA had not registered the sites that were promised to the farmers as compensation for parting with their properties.
Finding a solution to the problem is likely to take longer than expected as the BDA is yet to register close to 4,000 sites in the names of the farmers.
