Farmers from various villages, including Veni Veerapur, Kolagallu, Yerrangali in Ballari taluk, on Monday blocked the Ballari-Kuditini stretch of NH-63 demanding the enhancement of the price of their land already acquired by the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board and allotted to Brahmani Steels, owned by G. Janardhan Reddy, former Minister and mining baron.
Due to the blockade, movement of vehicular traffic was disrupted on the road for nearly two hours.
Around 4,700 acres of land were acquired for Brahmani Steels as per the price, ranging between Rs. 5 and 8 lakh per acre, recommended by the Price Fixation Committee, headed by the Deputy Commissioner.
The steel plant has not come up following the arrest of Mr. Reddy by the Central Bureau of Investigation on the charge of illegal mining in the Ballari reserve forests.
The committee had recommended the price for land acquired by the board for Arcelor-Mittal Steel Plant, in the same vicinity, between Rs. 8 and 16 lakh per acre.
Recently, the price of the land acquired for setting up a steel plant by the National Mineral Development Corporation, a central government undertaking, ranged between Rs. 12 and 25 lakh per acre.
Meanwhile, the farmers, under the Bhoo Horata Samiti, had staged a series of agitations demanding the increase of the price of the land acquired for Brahmani Steels.
Now they are demanding that the price be fixed at Rs. 25 lakh per acre and also urged the authorities arrange for a meeting with the Chief Minister in this regard.
K. Mukudappa, president of the state unit of AHINDA and former member of Karnataka Public Service Commission, along with other farmer leaders, led the agitation.
