PRR land losers, farmers plan to file mass petition in HC to scrap project

March 13, 2024 10:06 pm | Updated 10:06 pm IST - Bengaluru

As the State government has cut the guidance value of lands notified for the Peripheral Ring Road (PRR) project, farmers are now planning to file mass petitions in the High Court seeking the scrapping of the project. This may create new hurdles for the much delayed project, even as the government is keen for it to take off.

In 2023, the Stamps and Registration Department revised the guidance value upwards across the State including 67 villages where the PRR project would come up. However, earlier this month, the State slashed the guidance value by nearly half upsetting land losers. This would have a direct impact on the compensation which they will receive. Angered by this, the farmers have now decided to move the court.

Ramesh S. (name changed), a farmer talking to The Hindu, said this has irked the land losers and the government decision of axing the value is highly discriminatory. “We will file mass petitions in the High Court soon to scrap the project.”

He further said that the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) issued final notification for the project in 2007 and even after several years, the BDA hasn’t commenced work. “As per the BDA Act, the notification has expired and the project is no longer valid, we will contend”, he said.

Another farmer said in the court the land losers will pray for either scrapping the project or to issue new notification. It should be noted that in 2007 the BDA issued notification under the BDA Act 1984 and now if they want to issue a new notification it should be done under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013. This will change the structure of the compensation. Even then the compensation will not be satisfactory as guidance value has now been reduced, he contended.

In 2016, the BDA wrote to the Stamps and Registration Department asking them not to raise the guidance value of the land notified for the PRR. Despite that, the government increased the value. The fresh decision to cut may be based on the previous request of the BDA, sources said.