Karnataka not to sell land near new airport

Bangalore: The Karnataka Government on Tuesday said it has decided against selling 409 acres of excess land belonging to it at the new Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) to private developers.

'We will not sell the land. Instead, we will keep it for future use,' said infrastructure minister G Janardhan Reddy in the legislative assembly.

The government had acquired 4,391 acres for the BIA project. While 2,593 acres were acquired from farmers in and around Devanahalli, 1,798 acres were sourced from the forest department.

Of the 4,391 acres, the land utilised by BIA is 3,982 acres and the remaining land is being held by the government. According to official sources, the unused land is worth over Rs 900 crore.

Earlier, the government planned to sell off the 409 acres to private developers with a view to filling up the state coffers. Several leading real estate companies had lobbied with the previous JD(S)-BJP government to acquire the prime land for establishing special econnomic zones.

A proposal had been forwarded to the department of industries and commerce for starting aerospace and allied manufacturing activities in the area.

But with the opposition parties crying foul, the government decided against selling off the land. Reddy said: 'Of the 409 acres, we will transfer 83.24 acres to various government departments. The remaining land will be leased out to private players.'

The land will be reclaimed from these private players in future when the government decides to expand its facilities at BIA, Reddy added.