11 years after land was acquired for BIAL, farmers are now protesting against govt for allegedly not compensating them or providing alternative farmland
11 years after land was acquired for BIAL, farmers are now protesting against govt for allegedly not compensating them or providing alternative farmland
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Three years after inauguration and commencement of operations at the BIAL, members of the Agriculture Market Produce Committee have yet again broken into protest. 
Up in arms: Farmers claim that the 1,500 acres acquired by the BIAL
was fertile and had been reaping benefits for their families for generations.
This time they are strongly reiterating that they have been running into losses. Farmers claim that the
1,500 acres of land acquired by the BIAL was fertile and had been reaping benefits for their families for generations.
The bone of contention is that the government had earlier promised to compensate them, but nothing has come out of it so far.
"We were told that we would be shifted to a much richer area. For several months now, we have been requesting the government to compensate us or help us relocate to a profitable area, but our pleas have been falling on deaf ears," said Saranappa, a farmer from Devanahalli.
Further, they are claiming that the government, which converted their rich fertile land into dry tracts, cheated them. The farmers are now demanding immediate action.
Source of living
"Our main income was from potato and beans produce cultivated in this area. We were easily able to get back out investments on the seeds and even make a 70 per cent profit on our sales," said Jagadish, secretary, Agriculture Market Produce Committee.
"All that has stopped for three years now," he added.
Ministry denies claims
Meanwhile, the Agriculture Ministry strongly maintains that these are petty problems for the moment.
"The land was acquired almost 11 years ago. It happened when Deshpande was the industry minister. BIAL
has paid for the land and I do not understand why the farmers are creating a hue and cry about this now. They have been well compensated by the government," said Umesh Katti, Agriculture Minister.
Slamming the farmers further, he claims that they haven't approached him about the problem in the first place.
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