Devanhalli Karnatak 4December 25*The long and determined people’s struggle has finally prevailed

Devanhalli Karnatak 4December 25*The long and determined people’s struggle has finally prevailed

The long and determined people’s struggle has finally prevailed. The Karnataka State Cabinet, in its meeting held today, has approved the cancellation of land acquisition for the 13 villages of Devanahalli Taluk, Channarayapatna Hobli. The Cabinet stated that this decision was taken after considering the sustained farmers’ movement and the demands they raised during negotiations with the government. With this, the uncertainty surrounding the future of the region has ended, and concerns about declaring the area as a permanent green zone have also been put to rest.

Despite facing numerous obstacles and even the issuance of final notices, the people of Channarayapatna stood firm to protect their villages and agricultural lands. Their struggle has now become a model movement for the entire country. The role of Samyukta Horata Karnataka has been instrumental in elevating this local struggle to a state and national level, creating the pressure necessary for the government to reconsider its stance.

The movement received unprecedented support from citizens across Karnataka and from public figures, including actor Prakash Raj, which strengthened the people’s resolve and helped halt what many termed as reckless development.

Although delayed, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, during the talks held on July 15, had assured farmers that the Cabinet would approve the withdrawal of land acquisition. However, the denotification process remained pending, causing anxiety among villagers. During this period, KIDB even attempted to fix compensation prices for three villages, which was strongly opposed and successfully halted by the farmers.

KIDB continued to delay the formal denotification, leading to renewed protests. During the massive Bengaluru Chalo protest at Freedom Park on November 26, Samyukta Horata demanded immediate denotification of Devanahalli lands. When it came to light in the meeting that evening that the process had still not been completed, the Chief Minister expressed displeasure and directed officials to place the matter before the Cabinet without further delay. Owing to persistent follow-up by the Core Committee of Samyukta Horata, the Cabinet has today taken the final decision, bringing relief to thousands of farmers.

Samyukta Horata Karnataka congratulates and expresses gratitude to everyone who stood by this historic movement. We also thank the Cabinet for finally responding to the people’s demands.

We further urge the government to similarly withdraw the land acquisition processes in Bidadi and Anekal regions without delay.

Samyukta Horata Karnataka