Bengaluru: In a major setback to the state govt’s renewed push to clear hurdles for the long-pending Peripheral Ring Road (PRR) project, farmers whose lands are being acquired have once again rejected all five compensation options offered by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and the state govt.A farmers’ association has submitted a memorandum to the governor, seeking his intervention to “squash” the PRR Part-1—now renamed the Bengaluru Business Corridor (BBC) — arguing that the scheme has legally lapsed.The state cabinet recently approved five choices of compensation – cash, transferable development rights (TDR), floor area ratio (FAR), and developed residential and commercial plots. However, farmers have called these options an “eyewash,” claiming they are based on outdated 2016 guidance values that were deliberately not revised to reduce payouts.In their petition, the farmers alleged that BDA has been violating constitutional provisions and the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (RFCTLARR) Act, 2013, which provides for higher compensation and safeguards for landowners. They argued that while other agencies like BMRCL and NHAI have adopted the 2013 Act, BDA continues to rely on the outdated Land Acquisition Act of 1894.The farmers stated that no social and environmental impact assessments have been completed since the project’s first notification in 2005, rendering the scheme invalid. Around 20,000 families are affected by PRR Part-1, and they have demanded that the govt adopt the 2013 Act and issue a no-objection certificate (NOC) to denotify their lands if fair compensation norms are not implemented.Narasimha Murthy, a farmer, told TOI that at any cost, farmers won’t agree to these five options given to them. “Most of the farmers don’t even understand the options like FAR and TDR and the cash compensation is not given according to current market value. We badly want the governor to intervene and let us get proper justice.”The farmers also claimed that they have not received any calls from the BDA or the govt about the promised meeting with the chief minister and the DCM. BDA, in its most recent meeting with the farmers, had assured them a meeting with CM and DyCM.
