Farmers get relief: HC stays order of land acquisition

Poor farmers near the Bellary nala on the side of the NH4 who were about to loose their fertile land to the private society (Parivartan Alpasankyatara Krishi Sahakar Sangh ) controlled by Belgaum South MLA Abhay Patil, have won their first round of the battle.
The Karnataka High Court, on January 30, passed an interim order granting stay against the acquisition of land stating that the lands in the possession of the appellant farmers should not be disturbed until disposal of the appeal made by the appellants.
The respondents into the case included the Department of Industries and Commerce, Belgaum Deputy Commissioner, Special Land Acquisition Officer in Karnataka Industrial Development Corporation, Dharwad; Belgaum tahsildar and the sangh.
While passing the stay order, the court found prima facie that possession of lands was not taken as provided in Section 28 of Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Act, 1966. The possession of the land was taken by the Revenue Inspector of the village who was not empowered to do so under the law.
The court noted that the lands in question were earmarked for agricultural purpose in the Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) for Belgaum.

See related posts of the same story.
Farmers say don’t take our land
Farmers accuse MLA of trying to grab land
Who will hear the farmers? Police accused of harassment
HC order comes as a relief to farmers
Source: The Hindu

HC order comes as a relief to farmers

The Karnataka High Court’s interim order has come as a relief to small and marginal farmers who have been fighting to protect their fertile land on the either side of the Pune-Bangalore National Highway (Express Highway) 4.
About 20 families of farmers owning small and marginal land on survey Nos. 628, 629 and 630 on either side of the highway, just 2 km from the Central Bus Stand, have been fighting against the move by the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) to allegedly hand it over to Parivartan Alpasankhyatara Krushi Sahakara Sangha (PAKSS), a private society controlled by Belgaum South MLA Abhay Kumar Patil of the BJP.
The KIADB had initiated steps to acquire the land against the will of the farmers who were depending on it for livelihood. The PAKSS wanted to set up a cold storage plant there. The National Highway Division, Belgaum, in its notification issued on March 27, 2000, determined the “building lines” and “control lines” and declared that 75 metres on either side of the existing highway as “Green Belt Zone” and banned construction activities and development work in this area.
When the farmers challenged the move to acquire their land in the High Court, the KIADB temporarily stalled the process only on the direction of Regional Commissioner Amita Prasad. But the police started harassing and threatening the farmers.
The High Court recently passed an interim order and asked the Government to respond “as to why the State should not take the responsibility of providing cold storage facilities to farmers as sought to be done by PAKSS for whose benefit the land is proposed to be acquired by the board.”

Source The Hindu

Who will hear the farmers? Police accused of harassment

The Belgaum Shahar Shetkari Sanghatana, which has taken up the cause of farmers struggling to save their lands from being acquired by Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board, has alleged that police officials and their staff attached to the Malmaruti Police Station are harassing farmers.
A procession was taken to the DC’s office, against the KIADB had proposal to acquire fertile and irrigated agriculture land off Pune-Bangalore National Highway 4 (Express Highway) falling under Survey Nos 628, 629 and 630 only to allot to a private society controlled by BJP MLA (from Belgaum South) Abhay Kumar Patil. This was being done though the land had been earmarked as Green Belt area.
The farmers are small and marginal landholders. They are raising crops such as paddy, wheat and jowar for their living. However, the KIADB had proposed to acquire their land in an illegal manner and without observing procedural norms only to hand it over to Alpasankyatar Krushi Sahakar Sangh controlled by Mr. Patil.
A complaint was also made to the Governor and the High Court following which the Regional Commissioner of Belgaum Revenue division directed the KIADB against pursuing with the acquisition. Yet, the police were harassing and even arresting innocent farmers and creating panic among their families, it claimed.
The police were behaving in a threatening manner instead of providing protection to these poor families, it alleged. Though the matter was brought to the notice of the Superintendent of Police Sonia Narang, there was no let-up in the harassment by police. It was not clear whether the police stood for the politically influential and the rich or the poor and the weak.

This blog has has been following up this story, see earlier stories
http://belgaumblog.com/2008/09/farmers-concerned-over-kiadb/
http://belgaumblog.com/2008/07/farmers-accuse-mla-of-trying-to-grab-land/
http://belgaumblog.com/2007/10/farmers-say-don%e2%80%99t-take-our-land/
Source:The Hindu

Farmers Concerned over KIADB

The Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) has plans to acquire 501 acres of farmland at Ghugeranatti and Bambarga in Bambarga gram panchayat limits and Godihal in Vantamuri gram panchayat limits in Belgaum taluk. The land proposed for acquisition is 10 km away from Belgaum and adjacent to Pune-Bangalore Express Highway (NH 4) from Bennalli to Bhutaramantti.

The land acquisition wing of KIADB headed by a special land acquisition officer in Dharwad issued notice on September 6, 2006, to acquire 373 acres and 19 guntas at Bambarga and 127 acres and 24 guntas at Ghugarenatti, but could not proceed further following protests by farmers. They staged a “rasta roko” on November 9, 2006.

But the KIADB issued notices on March 8, 2008, to a few farmers of these villages. This had had become a cause for concern among the farmers of Ghugarenatti. If land was acquired, the entire village would have to be relocated. KIADB had left out the land along the highway owned by some “influential” persons. Village goutaan (common) land and barren hillocks under social forestry had also been left out. Sources in KIADB said the board had asked the tahsildar of Belgaum to prepare records to enable it to issue a final notification for land acquisition. People of the villages where KIADB has plans to acquire land are hoping that the Government would reconsider its move.
Now here we go again, How do we have industrial development without disturbing Agriculture. This is a Question being asked in all the states and all on fronts. Take it in Singur or in Ratnagiri or Jamshedpur. The farmers are now unwilling to give their land for industrial development.
I would rather suggest the Supreme court (it will have to intervene one day for sure) in this matter and make a national policy for land acquisition. Until then, we will have unsatisfied farmers and unsatisfied Industrialists.

Original Story in The Hindu

Farmers accuse MLA of trying to grab land

Source The HinduThere is no move to take possession of the land now: KIADB
‘Chief Minister should intervene and come to the rescue of farmers’
Members of 20 farmer families have alleged that a “fraud” was being committed upon them both by government officials and their elected representative who, according to them, were grabbing their fertile agricultural land by illegal means.
MLA from the Begaum South Assembly constituency Abhay Kumar Patil and officials of the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) are hand-in-glove in grabbing their only source of livelihood, they have alleged.
They said they had staged demonstrations in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office and sent memoranda to the Governor and the President. Yet, the BJP MLA had proved to be powerful, they said.
And, instead of protecting the law, life and property of weaker sections of society, the officials themselves were facilitating illegal proceedings for acquisition of their agricultural land, alleged Ranjit Patil, president, The Belgaum Shahar Shetkari Sanghatana (BSSS), even as he led a group of affected farmers to submit yet another memorandum to the President through the Deputy Commissioner here on Monday.
Talking to presspersons before submitting the memorandum, he said the KIADB had initiated the process of acquiring 16 acres of fertile agricultural land in Survey Nos. 628, 629 and 630 situated on either side of the Pune-Bangalore Express Highway (National Highway 4) 3 km from the city (on Dharwad Road).
The land, owned by 20 families, fell in the area that had been declared as “Green Belt” in the City Development Plan prepared by the Belgaum Urban Development Authority.
The farmers were raising crops such as paddy, wheat and jowar just sufficient to earn a livelihood. Recently, an owner of a piece of land in Survey No. 498:1:1 tried to convert the land for industrial purpose. But, the Government rejected his application on the ground that the area was under the “Green Belt”.
But, the KIADB was going ahead with the acquisition process only to help Mr. Abhay Kumar Patil, who wanted to grab the land through the Parivartan Alpa Sankyanka Krushi Seva Sangh, Mr. Ranjit Patil alleged.
The MLA had an eye on the land of the poor and weak farmers for long and set up the forum involving his family members and relatives with the objective of grabbing the land on the Express Highway, he claimed.
He said when the farmers started protesting, the police officials started harassing them under the influence of the MLA who was trying to take possession of the land. Though under normal circumstances the time taken for acquisition of agricultural land is three years, the KIADB took only 10 days to complete the procedure.
It even changed the names of the owners in the official records, despite the fact that the Supreme Court had, in its various judgments, held that no fertile agricultural land should be acquired for non-agricultural purposes, he said
In this case, the acquisition was being done without even giving proper compensation. Though the Government had given Rs. 60,000 per gunta when it acquired land for the Express Highway, the compensation amount being offered now was just Rs. 1.50 lakh per acre.
Mr. Ranjit Patil said it was ironical that the BJP came to power in the name of farmers. But, its MLA was trying to grab farmers’ land through illegal and coercive means. Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa should intervene and come to the rescue of the poor farmers, he added.
Mr. Ranjit Patil said the matter had been taken up in the Karnataka High Court.
Meanwhile, efforts to contact Mr. Abhay Kumar Patil were in vain.
However, official sources in the KIADB here told The Hindu that in view of the matter pending before the High Court, their Development Officer as well as the Regional Commissioner Amita Prasad directed the KIADB against pursing the matter. Therefore, there was no move to take possession of the land now

This blog has put a realted story to this on Oct.29,2007 its here. We All should stand with the farmers.We want development but not at the cost of the farmers land, if there are no farmers then what shallwe eat Industries.

Farmers oppose move to acquire farmland

Farmers of Kamkaratti, six km from here on the Pune-Bangalore Express Highway (NH4), on Wednesday marched to the office of the Deputy Commissioner to re-assert their stand against handing over their agricultural land to the government, either for the establishment of Suvarna Vidhana Soudha or any other industrial purpose.
Source The Hindu
I dont understand why the govt. does not go in for Non Farm land. Otherwise this issue will crop up all the time at any location.