Karnataka CM Shivakumar faces Bidadi land protest as state plants 15 lakh saplings

Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy said he will wait at Byramangala village for Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on June 27 to discuss the Greater Bengaluru Integrated Township (GBIT) project at Bidadi. Kumaraswamy asserted, “I have no objection if farmers agree to give their land for the Bidadi township project,” and warned that forcing farmers could be “not right.” He highlighted that about 70‑80% of the farmers have opposed the land acquisition and that the protests have continued for more than 450 days.

In the same period, Chief Minister Shivakumar announced a mega‑plantation drive to restore Bengaluru’s green cover by planting 15 lakh native saplings across the city in a single day. The initiative aims to improve biodiversity, air quality and climate resilience. He also inaugurated 33 new spillway gates at the Tungabhadra Dam, a joint effort with Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to strengthen water security for farmers in the three states.

Separately, Shivakumar is scheduled to lay the foundation stone for the controversial Tunnel Road project, a 2.2 km underground link between Hebbal and the University of Agricultural Sciences, projected to cost over Rs 17,000 crore. The project faces opposition from several parties, who label it a “pet project.”