Ramanagar farmers ready to give land for RGUHS campus: Minister

Farmers have agreed to part with their land for setting up a campus for Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) in Ramanagar if they are paid compensation as per the provisions of the new land acquisition Act, Energy Minister D K Shivakumar said on Monday.

Shivakumar, who is the in-charge minister for Ramanagar district, held a meeting with the land-losing farmers at the Vidhana Soudha.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Shivakumar said 18 farmers owning 93 acres had questioned in the Supreme Court the compensation paid to them. The farmers have now agreed to withdraw the case and part with their land if they are paid compensation as per the provisions of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, Shivakumar said. The law provides for paying compensation up to four times the guidance value of the acquired land.

The government will hold one more round of talks with the farmers for an amicable settlement, the minister said. A total of 250 acres is required for the campus, he said.

Some farmers, at the meeting, accused former chief minister and Ramanagar MLA H D Kumaraswamy of not helping them in getting higher compensation for their land. They even accused Kumaraswamy of insulting them when they approached him.