Kittur to lose 200 acres, 32,000 trees for industries

Belagavi: Despite Industries Minister, R V Deshpande’s recent assurance that no fertile land would be acquired for industries in Belagavi, the government is preparing to axe at least 32,000 fully grown trees to acquire 200 acres near Kittur for new industries planned in the area.

Besides thousands of mango, coconut and other plantations, the land is occupied by paddy fields that give massive yield every season and a large lake, according to one landowner threatened with displacement, Rakesh Parishwad.

Some landowners are fighting back and have got a court stay on acquisition of their land and environmentalists too have pressured the government to stop the acquisition of the fertile land. Felling of trees has come to a halt for the past  year due to the stay on the land acquisition, but the government  has already notified it and issued notices to the owners, offering them a compensation of Rs 10 lakh per  acre. 

When approached, Mr Deshpande had assured the farmers that their fertile land would not be  acquired, but the  Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board is reportedly awaiting the court’s verdict before it continues with the acquisition.   

“Lakhs of fully grown trees were cut when laying the national highway between Belagavi and Dharwad a decade ago. And now in the name of industrial development, the government is going to take over fertile land ignoring the protests by their owners and leaders from Belagavi,” 

Mr Parishwad regretted. With a Damocles sword hanging over their heads, many landowners have lost interest in cultivating their horticultural farms, which were once their only source of income.