JOIN USLand Bill holds up Bidadi township project
The Integrated Township Project on 9,178 acres of Bidadi in Ramanagara district is put on hold till the passage of the Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill (LABR), 2011, expected to come up before Parliament in the ongoing winter session.
It has been more than an year since the Bangalore Metropolitan Region Development Authority (BMRDA), the implementing agency, shortlisted four companies for the execution of the project. However, there has been no progress in the project since then. A senior BMRDA official told Deccan Herald that the State government had directed them to wait till the passage of the Bill.
“Till the Bill is cleared, we cannot decide on a proper formula for land acquisition and related compensation packages for those who are parting with land for the project,” the official said.
BMRDA, in February 2011, shortlisted four companies - Hindustan Construction Corporation, GVK Group, Reliance Infrastructure and Rajesh Exports — for implementing the project. The names of the companies were forwarded to the government when B S Yeddyurappa was the chief minister. The government has to select a company for the project.
N S Srinivasa Murthy, former president of the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) said the reason for the delay in execution of the project was more about politics.
“The project site has land parcels belonging to leaders of a certain political party. The government should not keep waiting for the passage of the Bill in the Lok Sabha. The Bill is mired in several controversies. A win-win solution for investors and land losers should be arrived at the earliest,” he said.
Another member of the FKCCI said there were around 35 Bills on the agenda of the winter session and till date, there has been no news about passing of the Land Acquisition Bill. “With the Parliament session set to end by December 20, it is less likely that the Bill will pass through,” he said.
The BMRDA has identified 10 villages in Bidadi for the township. The project involves 2,198 acres government land and 6,336 acres of private land.