BENGALURU: Amid the ongoing controversy over the proposed Bidadi Township Project (BTP), Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Wednesday asserted that the settlement was neither his "dream project" nor one initiated by him, and accused political opponents of misleading farmers and conspiring against him. He also ruled out forced land acquisition for Bidadi Township and announced his decision to set up an expert panel soon.

 

Addressing a press conference at Vidhana Soudha, CM Shivakumar said he was merely continuing a process initiated by previous governments and maintained that no land would be acquired forcibly.

 

CM Shivakumar announced that the government would constitute a committee within two to three months to examine the legal and other aspects of the project. He said the committee would include experts and stakeholders, and the government would await its report before taking any further decisions.

 

"I am not in a hurry. I will leave the matter to the farmers. This is a bond between me and the farmers. The committee is being formed to hear their concerns and examine the legal implications," he said.

 

"There is a conspiracy to put farmers on the wrong path. This is not my dream project. I have never claimed it to be one, nor have I laid its foundation. I am only following the decisions taken by my predecessors and the guidance given by farmers and senior leaders," he said.

 

The Chief Minister, who described himself as "a son of a farmer," said he understood the hardships faced by the farming community and had no intention of causing them distress.

 

"I may not have personally engaged in agriculture, but I know the difficulties of farmers. I do not want people to suffer. Those who want to give their land can do so; those who do not want to give their land will not be compelled," CM Shivakumar said.

 

CM Shivakumar sought to place the project in historical context, stating that plans for satellite townships around Bengaluru date back to September 23, 2006, during the tenure of then Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy. He said the proposal included five satellite towns—Nandagudi, Kasaba, Ramanagara taluk, Bidadi, Solur and Sathanur.

 

According to CM Shivakumar, subsequent governments led by H.D. Kumaraswamy and B.S. Yediyurappa continued the project through the Bengaluru Metropolitan Region Development Authority (BMRDA), including inviting global tenders under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.

 

He alleged that the Kumaraswamy government had declared the proposed project area a "red zone" in 2006, restricting land transactions, and had issued a Letter of Intent to private developer DLF after receiving a deposit of Rs 400 crore.

 

"Who did the real estate business here?" CM Shivakumar asked, in an apparent reference to Kumaraswamy and his family.

 

Maintaining that the government had no intention of forcibly acquiring land, CM Shivakumar said, "It does not matter whether I am in the Chief Minister's chair or someone else. This is a continuation of decisions taken by previous governments. Those who want to give land can do so; those who do not, need not."

 

The Bidadi Township Project has sparked protests from farmers and Opposition parties, with the BJP and JD(S) accusing the government of attempting to acquire agricultural land without adequate consultation. The State government has maintained that no final decision will be taken without engaging with stakeholders and addressing farmers' concerns. 

--IANS