Bangalore Development Authority extends 40% land offer to PRR farmers amid acquisition disputes

Bengaluru: Facing resistance from farmers unwilling to part with land for the 74-km Bengaluru Business Corridor (BBC), the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) has introduced three new compensation options.

The most prominent offer is 40% of developed land — around 9,583 square feet per acre — in exchange for land relinquished for the corridor. The other two options include Transferable Development Right (TDR) certificates and additional Floor Area Ratio (FAR) to allow extra construction beyond existing limits.

Earlier, the BDA had offered only cash compensation — twice the guidance value for urban properties and three times for rural properties. Landowners, especially in eastern Bengaluru where market value has surged, resisted this.

The project has been stalled for two decades due to land acquisition challenges.

At a meeting on Thursday, BDA Chairman NA Haris said the revised options would create a win-win situation. "We are providing the best offer that no government has ever given," he said, adding that 40% of developed sites would be allotted in existing or new layouts.

"We have a lot of vacant sites. On top of that, we will be developing six new layouts. Landowners will receive alternative land in the nearest location," he said, adding that the government may also consider providing commercial sites.

Retired IAS officer LK Atheeq, chairperson of the BBC project, said the options were designed keeping in mind that about 70% of landowners would still have land abutting the 74-km corridor. "We have planned a 12-metre access road to their land. This will increase their land value. If we drop the project, their land value will crash. We are hopeful that landowners will be satisfied with what we have offered," he said.

He added that HUDCO had offered to lend Rs 27,000 crore for the project. "We estimate that Rs 20,000 crore is needed for land acquisition and Rs 7,000 crore for civil works," he said, noting that about 200 acres of the 2,560 acres notified are government-owned.

However, farmers were divided on the offer.

Mavallipura Srinivas, a farmer leader, asked why compensation was not being provided under the 2013 Land Acquisition Act passed by the Congress-led UPA government. He argued the project should be dropped and the land denotified if funds were insufficient.

Krishna, another farmer whose land is notified, objected to the 40% offer.
"Agencies such as the Karnataka Housing Board are offering 50% developed sites. Even Siddaramaiah’s wife received sites under a 50:50 ratio in MUDA. In that case, why offer just 40% land, especially in Bengaluru, where the real estate value is so high?" he said.