The Karnataka government has issued the final notification for acquiring the remaining 1,895 acres of land in Bidadi for the Greater Bengaluru Integrated Township (GBIT) project, also known as the Bidadi township project, amid sustained protests by farmers.

The fresh notification covers the Bairamangala and Kanchugaranahalli revenue villages on the outskirts of Bengaluru. With this, the final notification process has been completed for all nine revenue villages, spanning 7,343 acres. The project requires a total of 9,640 acres. The remaining land is owned by the government of Karnataka.

The development comes amid protests by farmers, who have been opposing the project near Bairamangala Circle for over 550 days. Recently, an attempt by the protesting farmers to block the highway at Bidadi led to chaos after the police intervention.

The farmers, however, are unhappy with the latest development and have accused the State Government of ‘backstabbing’.

Prakash H.G., one of the protesting farmers, questioned the State Government about proceeding with the project despite promising to assess its merits and demerits.

“On July 14, they had only set up the committee, which also recently invited objections from all of us. Even before its report is out, these notifications have been issued,” he told The Hindu, adding that the government did not know how to keep its promises.

Sources in the Greater Bengaluru Development Authority (GBDA), the implementing agency, said that work had not been halted and that compensation was being disbursed to farmers who were giving up their land. “We don’t have to stop work completely,” the official said.