In Bengaluru the post-90’s boom has manifested in the expansion of the city limits, at the cost of fertile land owned and tilled by farmers for multiple generations. In this process, self-sufficient family units are converted into pauperised and cheap labourers, ready for exploitation by the multi-national companies setting up shop. However, these anti-farmer land grabs have been continued by the government.
The victory snatched by the farmers of Devanahalli in July this year has inspired greater zeal in the ongoing anti-acquisition struggles. After more than three years of movement, they forced the Congress government to take back the notice for land acquisition. Another such movement is underway at Sarjapur hobli of Anekal taluk under Bengaluru urban district. The Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) has issued multiple notifications to acquire 2535.31 acres of land in the area terming it as ‘dry land’. A visit was conducted in the affected area by student activists for a better understanding of the ground reality. Read on for the highlights.
Overview:
Anekal region is an agriculturally affluent area that is highly fertile with local sources of freshwater kere (lakes) and man-made krushi honda (farm ponds) that have sustained the farmers for centuries. Historically known as the Ragi kanaja (granary), this area is also cultivated for maize, pulses, fruits, and vegetables. These wide varieties of crops continue to be grown today. Flowers are grown in greenhouses and polyhouses. A large section of the farmers are engaged in animal husbandry like sericulture, dairy farming, goat rearing, piggery, poultry, nati koli (country chicken), and quail farming. The overall production of ragi has come down over the years with sericulture gaining prominence. The protesters expressed their contentment with the extant way of life. The existential dread at the proposed acquisition is evident in their committed struggle against the state government.
Impact of the Acquisition:
The first notification for land acquisition was issued by KIADB in March, 2024 for around 600 acres in the villages Handenahalli, Adigara Kallahalli, S Medahalli, and Muthanallur Amanikere (revenue village). In subsequent notices more land from Muthanallur, Kommasandra, Bikkanahalli, Samanahalli, Thimmasandra, Sollepura, Gopasandra, Kaggalipura, Harohalli, Chokkasandra, Avalahalli, Sulikunte, Dommasandra, Kada Agrahara, and B Hosahalli villages were brought in. Farmers say that about 10,000 people in the region may get affected including landless labourers, small, and middle farmers. The final notification was issued in December 2024.
The mega plan is to build SWIFT (Startups, Workspaces, Innovation, Finance, and Technology) city as the third tech hub of Bengaluru on acquired land. Apart from the human cost, the natural cost will be severe. Peacocks and deer roam in the area. All that flora, fauna, lakes, and fertile land would be destroyed by this myopic project.
Mr. Narayana Reddy, one of the affected farmers, owns one acre of farmland and a house where he lives with his family and old parents. Chickens, goats, and cows are reared by his parents. His whole family is sustained comfortably on that piece of land. He laments that he and others will get only house-keeping jobs if the SWIFT city comes up. The story is echoed by others.
Condition of Farmers:
Land: In the affected area, most farmers can be categorised into landless, small, and middle farmers on the basis of their land holdings and earnings. There are a few rich farmers who are engaged in large-scale commercial activities like horticulture, piggery, etc., despite having only a few acres of land. On an average people own 20 guntas (1 acre = 20 gunta) of land. The land holdings range from 10 guntas to almost 6 acres (very rare). Earlier the land was fertile enough to nourish three crops in a year. Now two crops a year can be grown. In most farmlands, multiple crops are grown like ragi+maize, ragi+pulses, vegetables, etc. Since the Green revolution, the reliance on chemical fertilisers, pesticides, and high-yielding seeds have degraded soil fertility. Bees have vanished.
Ownership: Land is owned by different caste groups, though a higher share is owned by Reddys. Most landless labourers are Dalits. Through the 1971 land reforms, some Dalits gained land. Gomala land (government-owned land in Karnataka specifically set aside for grazing livestock and other public uses) is also present. In 2020, an ordinance was passed by the Karnataka government removing restrictions on non-agriculturists purchasing agricultural lands and doubling the ceiling on land holdings. This has accelerated acquisition all around Bengaluru.
Irrigation: Muthanallur kere used to be the primary source of irrigation water. Factories in the Electronic city industrial belt are allowed to dump their waste in these lakes and stormwater drains (rajakaluve) for the past 7-8 years, completely blackening the water, killing fishes, and plants. Water that was drinkable earlier cannot even be used to bathe cattle anymore. Farmers are solely dependent on rainwater, borewells, and hondas now. Even groundwater is turning hard and polluted. The factory sewage has degraded soil quality in almost 250 acres of land.
Loans: Hand loans from local moneylenders with high rates of interest (24-60%) are very common. Some farmers take loans from microfinance agencies, Prathamika Krushi Grameen bank, and nationalised banks. A few people get loans at low interest under Kisan credit cards. Rarely the bank loans are waived off by the government after a bad season. Many fall into debt traps.
Profit: Productivity and profit is decreasing day-by-day in farming. Many people from younger generations are opting for corporate jobs in Electronic city or ITPL. The cost of inputs (fertilisers, pesticides, seeds, and labour) has gone up. Most inputs are bought from MNCs like Bayer, Sakata, Monsanto, etc. There is little to no help from the government- limited schemes are available that are inaccessible for most. Sericulturists buy silkworms from the government and rear them. Tractors, power tillers, grass cutters, sprayer pumps, etc. are owned by some and rented by a few. For farmers owning less than 2 acres of land, the labour is given by self. For larger tracts of land, 1-2 labourers are employed on an average, either from local villages or other districts/states. The average daily wage rate is Rs. 800 and Rs. 700 for men and women respectively. Food, water, and shelter are provided too.
Earlier, the area was food-sufficient. A family could sustain for 3 years from one ragi season. Now, food security is gone. Even if some profits are made, most of it goes into buying inputs for the next season, debt repayment, or in family expenses like food and education for children. The land-holdings are stagnant for almost everyone.
Markets: Most farmers sell their produce locally. APMCs are not accessible. There is no fixed selling price for cereals, fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Some farmers have regular customers living around in apartments who buy vegetables, fruits, eggs, and dairy products. Flowers and animals are transported far and wide. Sericulturists sell the cocoons in kilograms at government cocoon markets in Ramnagara and Kolar. Farmers feel the need for a government-approved minimum support price that is determined scientifically for each type of crop.
The Struggle: Despite a hundred problems plaguing the farming sector, it is amply clear to the farmers that giving up their land will make their lives a hundred times worse. The Karnataka government is acquiring land to build KWIN (Knowledge, Wellbeing, and Innovation) City (Dabaspete), SWIFT City, AI City (Bidadi), and Quantum City (Hesaraghatta) where the local people will neither be able to afford a place to stay, nor be given a dignified job. Inflated figures of job creation can no longer fool the people.
After the first round of notification, since March 2024, the Anekal farmers have been protesting. More people joined later as more land came to be notified. An indefinite strike is ongoing in Muthanallur with support from Raitha sangha (farmer union) since 9th July of this year. Thousands of farmers staged a massive protest at the local taluk office. They also carried out a bike rally till Freedom park. When the government sent a private agency for a survey, their equipment was seized and burnt by the farmers.
Farmers say that they do not want subsidies or schemes- they only want their land to be protected. The Congress government has even threatened them with power cuts if they do not comply. The struggle continues undeterred in unison with other farmer groups fighting against acquisition in different areas. However, their plight is wilfully neglected by mainstream media.
The local Congress MLA B Shivanna
(who lives in a multi-crore villa in Nambiar layout) has not gone beyond verbal support. The police have tried to restrict these protests by asking them to go to Freedom park. The local support continues unabated. Farmers affiliated to the RSS who are part of the struggle frankly expressed that neither the BJP, nor Congress or JDS have helped the farmers.
Note from an SEZ in Devanahalli:
To understand a possible post-acquisition scenario, a glimpse at one of the existing Special Economic Zones in Devanahalli will do. Safran, a French MNC in joint venture with HAL has set up a factory in this SEZ dedicated to aerospace. Many locals were working in this factory before being abruptly terminated. They were replaced swiftly by workers from other states who have less bargaining power and zero local support. This is the very fate the farmers of Anekal are fighting.
Endnote:
Construction of satellite cities at the cost of farmers’ lives is a neoliberal project that leads to solely displacement and pauperisation. This model of development only fattens the pockets of MNCs, local politicians, and real estate giants. Natural and human resources stand to suffer. Every farmer, worker, student, environmental, and anti-liberalisation activist must oppose this. Ironically, the Karnataka government is crushing the aspirations of farmers with an iron fist while announcing the establishment of a study chair at the University of Mysore on the life and contributions of Prof. MD Nanjundaswamy, a staunch anti-liberalisation farmer leader.
{Courtesy: Parshuram Muthanallur, Narayana Reddy, Nagesha Reddy, Supreeth Reddy, Manjula and Somashekhara Reddy, Lohith Reddy, Jayaprakash Narayan, and Muniraju (Swadeshi)- farmer activists from Anekal}
