Deve Gowda urges Karnataka to scrap Bidadi township project, threatens Satyagraha

Former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) patriarch HD Deve Gowda, on Tuesday, July 14, urged the Karnataka government to withdraw the proposed Greater Bengaluru Bidadi Integrated Township (GBIT) Project, warning that he will launch a Satyagraha outside the Vidhana Soudha if the government does not reconsider the plan.In an 11-page letter dated June 25 to Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who also holds the Bengaluru Development portfolio, Gowda argued that the project would displace thousands of small and marginal farmers, worsen environmental degradation, and place an unnecessary financial burden on the state.The GBIT, popularly known as the Bidadi Township, is planned across around 9,600 acres spanning nine revenue villages and 16 non-revenue villages in Bidadi, around 40 km from Bengaluru. The state government has projected it as India’s first AI-powered Work-Live-Play township and one of the major infrastructure projects being pushed by Shivakumar.The project, however, has a longer political history. It was first notified in 2006 by former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, after which around 1,000 acres were acquired and allotted by the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board during the subsequent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.  The Congress has often referred to it as Kumaraswamy’s “brainchild”. It was put on hold during the first Siddaramaiah government and later revived by successive administrations with changes to compensation models. The current government has entrusted its implementation to the Greater Bengaluru Development Authority (GBDA).The proposed township involves the acquisition of 7,481 acres and 21.08 guntas of agricultural land across eight villages in Bidadi Hobli of Ramanagara taluk and part of one village in Harohalli Hobli in Bengaluru South district.Gowda’s letter specifically objected to the proposed acquisition of 7,481 acres and 21.08 guntas across eight villages in Bidadi Hobli of Ramanagara taluk and part of one village in Harohalli Hobli of Bengaluru South district.Citing nearly 500 days of farmers’ protests, Gowda said government records showed that 82% of the 10,580 affected landholders owned less than one acre of land. Around 2,555 farmers owned less than five guntas, he said.He said these families depended on agriculture, dairy farming, horticulture, sericulture and allied rural activities, and warned that acquisition would deprive them of their livelihoods and increase unemployment among rural youth.Gowda also highlighted the region’s dairy economy, stating that the affected villages produce around 50,000 litres of milk daily and supply nearly six to seven lakh litres every month to Bengaluru Dairy, generating about Rs 1 crore in monthly income. He said women form a majority of those engaged in dairy activities and would be severely impacted.Raising environmental concerns, Gowda said the project would add pressure on Byramangala Lake, which continues to face sewage inflows and industrial pollution despite restoration efforts worth around Rs 300 crore. He alleged that the lake’s pollution has already affected nearby residents and livestock.Questioning the need for the project, Gowda pointed to vacant residential sites in BDA layouts, including Dr Shivarama Karanth Layout and Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout, and said there was no justification for creating another township while existing layouts remain underutilised.He also questioned the approval process, alleging that the government had issued the final land acquisition notification without properly addressing around 4,500 objections from farmers. He sought Social Impact Assessment and Environmental Impact Assessment studies under the 2013 Land Acquisition Act, particularly considering the proposed felling of nearly two lakh trees.Gowda criticised the project’s financial structure, noting that the state has approved borrowings of Rs 12,511 crore, including a government guarantee of Rs 7,500 crore, while the BDA has been permitted to contribute Rs 3,000 crore as equity. With Karnataka’s debt burden estimated at around Rs 8.14 lakh crore, he questioned the financial prudence of taking up the project.Gowda said the JD(S) would continue supporting farmers opposing the township and reiterated that he would undertake a peaceful Satyagraha before the Mahatma Gandhi statue at Vidhana Soudha if the government failed to withdraw the project.