Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL) is planning to buy a 67-acre private plot near Bhadra Tiger Reserve in lieu of forest land in Kadugodi, which will be used to construct a depot under phase-II of Namma Metro.
BMRCL will be acquiring 45 acres of land in Kadugodi from the Forest Department. As per the policy, it will have to purchase and hand over a plot of land of the same size for the Forest Department to carry out afforestation work.
According to BMRCL officials, the land near Bhadra Tiger Reserve was selected based on a suggestion by the department. The corporation recently purchased 29 acres of land from 14 property owners in Dandeli, at a cost of ₹3 lakh per acre. The department had identified an additional 15 acres in the area, but owing to various factors BMRCL could not acquire it.
“We had acquired 29 acres of land in Dandeli as suggested by the department. However, acquisition of 15 more acres of land in Dandeli did not happen as they were located in small pockets in different areas and were not suitable to take up forest development activities. Later, the department suggested we acquire two privately owned plots of land available near Bhadra Tiger reserve. In total, both plots are 67 acres and are owned by two families in Nandigave village in N.R. Pura taluk. We are in talks with owners to purchase the land,” said Channappa Goudar, General Manager (Land Acquisition), BMRCL. If the deal comes through, BMRCL will be handing over 96 acres, including the land in Dandeli, for the 45-acre Kadugodi plot. The difference is likely to be squared off for future acquisitions.
Jagmohan Sharma, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Forest Clearance), said the corporation was given a list of properties to acquire. “They have to provide non-forest land in lieu of forest land taken in the city. BMRCL is adopting a fair strategy, in which it provided us the extra land too, which will be adjusted in case the corporation acquires more forest land in future...but it is up to them.”