Will place Bidadi township land acquisition award before court before acting on it, State government tells Karnataka HC

The State government of Karnataka has pledged to submit the award for land acquisition in the Bidadi Integrated Township Project before enforcing it, according to the High Court of Karnataka. Appearing before Justice R. Nataraj, Advocate General K. Shashi Kiran Shetty made this pledge after hearing petitions filed by farmers who challenge the legality of the acquisition.

The government's undertaking comes in addition to its earlier assurance that farmers would not lose their lands before the award is passed. The plea for a stay on the acquisition proceedings was made by advocates representing landowners, who expressed fear that the government might dispossess them soon after the award is passed, even if the petitions against the acquisition are still pending.

The petitioners' advocates also mentioned the possibility that the award would not be passed if the court accepted their argument that the government's exemption from conducting a mandatory Social Impact Assessment under the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, should be upheld. The court adjourned the hearing till September 29, after recording the Advocate General's undertaking.

The petition also alleged that the government resorted to deception to avoid complying with the rigorous 2013 land acquisition law, including mandatory Social Impact Assessment, landowner consent, and rehabilitation measures. To circumvent the SIA, the petitioners claimed the government first designated the rural areas as "Local Planning Area" under the Town and Country Planning Act and later upgraded them to "Urban Area" under the Karnataka Urban Development Authorities Act, solely to bring acquisition under the latter act.