Samyukta Horata - Karnataka, a coalition of farmers, workers, dalits and student groups, on Monday demanded that the Karnataka government immediately withdraw the proposed Bidadi Integrated Satellite Township project and cancel the ongoing land acquisition process for nearly 9,640 acres in Ramanagara district, alleging that the project would destroy fertile agricultural land and threaten the livelihoods of thousands of farmers.

Leaders of the organisation, along with affected farmers, said the project was “anti-farmer” and environmentally destructive. The land identified for acquisition is spread across 25 villages coming under Byramangala and Kanchugaranahalli gram panchayat limits in Bidadi hobli of Ramanagara district. The area comprises irrigated agricultural land and horticultural plantations growing crops such as coconut, arecanut, banana and mango, the farmers said.

The activists said the region acts as an important agricultural belt supplying milk, fruits, vegetables and other essential produce to Bengaluru. They claimed that several farming families in the area have adopted mixed-cropping systems and established agriculture-linked small-scale industries, including arecanut plate manufacturing units, helping them sustain their livelihoods.

“The government cannot destroy such a sustainable rural economy through forced and unjust land acquisition,” the farmers’ representatives said.

The organisation alleged that more than 3,500 small and marginal farmers had already submitted written objections opposing the acquisition soon after the government issued a preliminary notification pertaining to the Bidadi Integrated Satellite Township project.

However, the protesters alleged that the State government had failed to consider or hear the objections raised by the farmers. They said farmers in the region have been protesting against the project in different forms for the past one-and-a-half years and have continued an indefinite dharna for over 428 days. Despite the prolonged agitation, they alleged that the Cabinet approved the project without consulting the affected families.

Calling the move “authoritarian” and a violation of democratic rights, Samyukta Horata - Karnataka urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to immediately halt the acquisition process.

Badagalapura Nagendra, a farmer leader, said that Bengaluru had already suffered due to unchecked urban expansion, with agricultural lands being converted into layouts and apartment complexes lacking adequate infrastructure. He claimed that several residential projects and sites in and around Bengaluru remained vacant for years while the city continued to face rising temperatures and environmental stress. He urged environmentalists, writers, policymakers and citizens to oppose projects that would further intensify ecological damage around Bengaluru.