Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Bangalore, Feb 10: The former prime minister and JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda has announced plans to undertake a state-wide tour from February 16 to create public awareness against the B S Yeddyurappa-led BJP government’s move to acquire farm lands for setting up a land bank.

The proposal to create the land bank ostensibly to promote setting up of industries and development of infrastructure was not in the interests of farmers, he said pointing out that Yeddyurappa who was sworn in the name of farmers was systematically destroying them.

``I will be touring the state along with leaders of left parties and Dalit Sangarsha Samiti and other progressive organisations in Bangalore city and 26 other districts, in which the government had notifified around 1.71 lakh acres of farm land, including 1.46 lakh acres of for acquisition.

In Ramanagara, 12,200 acres of agricultural land had been notified while in Dharwad over 9,300 acres, in Mysore 5,000 acres and 4,900 acres in Tumkur had been notified, he claimed and declared: ``I will meet farmers and other representatives. We will not allow creation of this land bank.”

"There is no need for creation of the land bank as it would deeply impact farmers,” he said pointing out that land acquisition proceedings should be taken up only after receiving firm investment proposals and care should be taken to ensure that they were implemented in a time-bound programme.

Gowda made it clear that he was not opposing industrialistion or infrastructure development, which were very much necessary for the state’s development. ``But under no circumstances, farm lands should be acquired. Even when land acquisition becomes inevitable, the farmers should be given compensation at market rates and also jobs should be provided to their dependants in the industries,”he added.