NO LAND FOR FOUNDER?
BENGALURU
The government’s move to acquire an additional 10 acres of land in Kempapura village near Magadi to develop a memorial to Nadaprabhu Kempegowda, widely regarded as the founder of Bengaluru, has triggered fierce opposition from residents.
The government intends to expand the memorial area to 44 acres, including an existing 24-acre lake which it plans to revamp. But over 50 locals, most of them landowners, have submitted a petition to the district deputy commissioner opposing the new acquisition. They urged the govt to develop the project on land it already owns or use nearby gomala land. Harish Gowda, a resident of Kempapura, said, we are not opposing the project. The land which the govt has was given voluntarily. Villagers are only requesting the govt to implement the project with the land it already has.
The Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Heritage Area Development Authority (NKHADA), formed in 2018, will oversee the project. Initially pegged at Rs 65 crore, the project cost too is expected to rise with the additional land and infrastructure, if it goes through. In August, the government exempted the district administration from conducting a social impact study and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar recently announced Rs 203 crore for Kempegowda-related projects, including the development of over 60 heritage sites.
On October 15, Bengaluru South district administration issued a notification to acquire 10 acres in Kempapura belonging to 41 people. Officials said the government bought 6.5 acres from 73 private individuals in 2021. This adjoined 4 acres of government land which the state intended to use for the project. As of now, the government holds over 10 acres of land, which was purchased by the previous BJP government, and is in the process of acquiring 10 more. The project may be implemented soon after completion of the acquisition process, said Rangaswamy Hattaridurga, a former NKHADA member.
