‘If my land is snatched away, I will die by suicide': Devanahalli farmers to intensify protest ahead of meeting with CM Siddaramaiah

Indian Express

2 days ago

With uncertainty staring at him, Raghu M, a farmer from Devanahalli's Gokare Bachchenahalli village, is already contemplating extreme steps if the Karnataka Government goes ahead and acquires his land for the high-tech defence and aerospace sector park in the Bengaluru Rural district.
Raghu, 58, is among the farmers protesting against the acquisition of 1,777 acres of land, spread across 13 villages in the Bengaluru Rural district, by the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB). Several farmer unions, including the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) and the Kisan Sangharsh Samiti, have threatened to intensify their protest if the government does not drop the project.
The affected landowners are expected to meet Chief Minister Siddaramaiah Friday, July 4, seeking withdrawal of the final notification to acquire their lands.
'Snatching my land means snatching my life'
Raghu, who grows sandalwood on his 10-acre land in Gokere Machenahalli, has an annual income of Rs 80,000 and looks after a family of four.
Speaking to The Indian Express from the protest site at Freedom Park, Raghu said, 'Snatching away my land means snatching away my life. I have my parents' samadhi (memorial) on the land. I will kill myself near the samadhi, if the government acquires my land. This is the fifth time the government is notifying land for industrial purposes in the Channarayapatna hobli. This is when there is significant underutilisation in at least 40 per cent of land allotted to existing industries by KIADB in the hobli.'
Farmers argue that KIADB developed an industrial area spanning 1,282 acres in Phase I of the Haralur Industrial Area in Devanahalli taluk. However, only two companies have set up production units in this area, reportedly suggesting significant underutilisation of the allocated land. They say it is a clear indication of prioritising corporate and vested interests over farmer welfare.
Farmers have also warned that depriving them of their agricultural lands will lead to severe disruption of essential supplies to Bengaluru. 'If we lose our agricultural land to industrial projects, Bengaluru will be hit severely. Most of the vegetables and milk for Bengaluru come from Devanahalli taluk, given its proximity to the city,' adds Raghu.
'Will end up with gatekeeping, gardening jobs'
Gopinath A S, another protesting farmer from Nallur, is facing hurdles in obtaining a no-objection certificate to install a borewell for irrigation on his 6.5-acre agricultural land. Courtesy: the government's finalisation of the notification for land acquisition.
Gopinath, who supports a family of 15, grows ragi in his agricultural field, says, 'The only work I know is agriculture. How am I supposed to support my family and my livelihood when the government is grabbing my land? Despite protests from the farmers for the last 3.5 years, the government still went ahead with the final notification'.
He also points out that several landowners who lost their land to previous industrial projects ended up as gardeners or gatekeepers at the factories. 'The government has assured compensation of 10,771 sq ft of developed land per acre. What will farmers with small land parcels do? Especially, those with 1 acre or 2 acres of land. They cannot practise agriculture in a small parcel of land in a village. Eventually, they will end up with gatekeeping and gardening jobs in the factories because they are unskilled and know nothing but agriculture,' adds Gopinath.
Another farmer, Yangtamma, who has invested nearly Rs 8-9 lakh in the last five years to grow pomegranate on her 5.5-acre land, is equally worried. 'With the government set to acquire my land, all my investment and hard work will go in vain,' she says.
The farmers also point out that nearly 80 per cent of landowners raised objections to the land acquisition process when the government conducted the khata amalgamation three years ago. 'While some families accepted compensation, some families remain undecided,' says Raghu.
For public-private partnership projects or private acquisitions, consent from 70-80 per cent of affected landowners is required, in line with the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.
Meanwhile, on June 24, the Karnataka Government decided to exclude 495 acres from three villages from land acquisition. However, farmers from these villages are not convinced.
Lakshmamma is a farmer from Nallapanahalli, whose village has been excluded from land acquisition. However, she continues to protest and stand in solidarity with other landowners until the government drops the acquisition process.
'We don't trust the government. No land means no job. My entire family is into agriculture. We grow ragi, silk, and vegetables on a 3-acre land parcel. If the government acquires our land, we have nowhere else to go. We don't want to leave our land. Despite our village being excluded, we still want all other villages to be dropped from the acquisition process,' says Lakshmamma.
Competing with other states
The state government is ambitiously pursuing the high-tech defence and aerospace park to keep up with the intensifying competition from neighbouring states.
Tamil Nadu has emerged as a strong competitor with two planned Aerospace and Defence (A&D) parks in Coimbatore — 350 acres at Varapatti and another near Sulur with an airstrip for trials, similar to Bengaluru and Hyderabad. Hyderabad is also a growing A&D hub, with industrial parks like the one in Adibatla hosting companies such as Tata Advanced Systems and Lockheed Martin.
Andhra Pradesh has also recently proposed new HAL facilities, sparking debates about potential relocation from Karnataka, though Karnataka retains HAL's core production units in Bengaluru and Tumkur. The state is also developing industrial corridors to attract A&D investments. Additionally, Andhra Pradesh also offers large land parcels at lower costs compared to Karnataka, and its coastal location boosts logistics for exports.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra is positioning Nashik as a future A&D hub, with plans for a defence corridor between Nashik and Pune. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis recently claimed that Maharashtra is attracting significant A&D investments, surpassing established corridors in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
'The final notification for the acquisition of land in Devanahalli taluk was issued in April 2025, and reversing it now would be highly problematic due to the administrative processes that are already underway. Such a rollback could create a ripple effect, encouraging farmers across Devanahalli and beyond to demand de-notification of their unutilised KIADB lands, disrupting planned industrial development,' a state government official said.
Sanath Prasad is a senior sub-editor and reporter with the Bengaluru bureau of Indian Express. He covers education, transport, infrastructure and trends and issues integral to Bengaluru. He holds more than two years of reporting experience in Karnataka. His major works include the impact of Hijab ban on Muslim girls in Karnataka, tracing the lives of the victims of Kerala cannibalism, exploring the trends in dairy market of Karnataka in the aftermath of Amul-Nandini controversy, and Karnataka State Elections among others. If he is not writing, he keeps himself engaged with badminton, swimming, and loves exploring. ... Read More