Bangalore Development Authority gets govt approval to acquire 6,217 acres of land, form 6 new residential layouts

Bengaluru: In a significant move, the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) has received Karnataka government’s approval to notify over 6,217 acres of land for the formation of six new residential layouts along a proposed 10-lane corridor.

This is the fourth major land acquisition approved by the state in the city’s outskirts, following 1,050 acres earmarked for a tech park in Sarjapur, 1,500 acres for KWIN City between Doddaballapur and Dobbspet as well as 9,000 acres for an integrated township in Bidadi. The approval comes amid growing public backlash, with affected landowners accusing the government of “forceful acquisition”.

According to a recent government order, the six layouts will spread across 22 villages, primarily located in southern Bengaluru. These include areas such as BM Kaval, Kaggalipura, Hulimangala and Hullahalli.

The proposed layouts are planned adjacent to the Bengaluru Business Corridor – 2, which aims to connect Hosur Road and Mysuru Road and will run parallel to the NICE Road at some distance.

Besides according permission to issue a preliminary notification under Section 17(1) of the BDA Act, the government has also authorised BDA to prepare a development scheme for these layouts.

“Bengaluru is developing rapidly. There is a need to decongest the city and ensure the smooth movement of vehicles. In addition to building a peripheral ring road, we must create planned layouts that are economical to the public,” the Urban Development Department’s July 25 order reads. 

According to the order, the government has directed the BDA to compensate landowners under the BDA’s 1976 Act, which follows the 40:60 formula — offering 40% of developed sites in exchange for land surrendered.

For instance: 40% of developed land for each acre given up or cash compensation. 

However, this compensation model is unlikely to be well-received by affected landowners, as other agencies like the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) offer much higher compensation under the 2013 Land Acquisition Act. The compensation is also on time unlike the BDA. 

Moreover, the BDA has already faced criticism for neither compensating the land losers of Shivaram Karanth Layout nor allotting the sites to assess the demand for new ones.

On top of six layouts, the BDA has also proposed expanding both the Karanth and Kempegowda Layouts by an additional 3,000 acres each.

BDA commissioner Manivannan P said the proposal to form six layouts has been placed before the board for approval.

“I will comment on the details only later,” he stated.