Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday announced that the government has decided to completely drop the land acquisition process in Channarayapatna and surrounding villages in Devanahalli taluk, following sustained protests by farmers and land rights activists.
Chairing a high-level meeting at Vidhana Soudha with district officials and farmer representatives, Siddaramaiah declared, “We have taken a historic decision. The government has decided to withdraw the entire land acquisition process. This is in keeping with our pro-farmer promise made even before coming to power.”
Siddaramaiah, who had earlier pledged support to protesting farmers as the Leader of Opposition, said the decision reflects his government’s commitment to social justice, both in word and in action.
However, he added that farmers willing to voluntarily part with land will be given enhanced compensation and developed plots in return. “Those interested in giving up their land for industrial development will receive a higher-than-guideline rate and additional land benefits,” he said.
The 1,777 acres earmarked for acquisition were part of a proposed aerospace and industrial corridor near Kempegowda International Airport, with the aim to boost employment and capital investment near Bengaluru. But the land falls in a region heavily dependent on agriculture.
“No land acquisition protest of this scale has been seen in the state before. The land here is fertile and crucial to local livelihoods. Farmers clearly demanded withdrawal of the process,” Siddaramaiah noted.
He also warned that stalling such projects may push industries to other states, but insisted the government stands firmly with farmers, and that development must be inclusive and consensual.
Actor-activist Prakash Raj, present at the press briefing, said, “Siddaramaiah’s decision is not just lip service to social justice — he has acted on it.”
Ministers M.B. Patil, K.H. Muniyappa, H.K. Patil, Krishna Byre Gowda, Priyank Kharge, Byrathi Suresh, along with the CM’s political secretary Naseer Ahmed, legal advisor Ponnanna, Advocate General Shashikiran Shetty, and several farmer leaders also attended the meeting.
