Government to auction excess land acquired for Bangalore International Airport

In an unprecedented move, the Karnataka Government has decided to put up 408 acres of prime land around Bangalore International Airport for “public auction”.

Briefing reporters after a Cabinet meeting, which cleared the controversial decision, Karnataka’s Minister for Medical Education V S Acharya said the Government would auction the land in 25-acre and 50-acre blocks, which would fetch an estimated Rs 20 billion. “The money raised through public auction will be used for carrying out development programmes”, he said.

The 408 acres of land to be put up for sale is part of the 4,050 acres of land acquired in Devanahalli near here for the Bangalore International Airport, which is expected to become operational by April 2008. “It is surplus land”, Acharya told reporters.

When the JD (S)-BJP coalition came to power in 2005, the Government found 408 acres of land to be in excess of the requirement for the airport and decided to retain the same for setting up public utility services like bus bays and a railway station.

Though the Government would issue guidelines for prospective buyers, keeping in mind the airspace safety, the decision to auction land acquired by the Government in the name of the airport project has raised several eye-brows in the State.

With land prices in and around Bangalore sky-rocketing and the Government’s decision to sell the land taken away from the farmers at a market rate is likely to be questioned. “Why does the Government want to auction the land instead of returning it to the farmers from whom it had been acquired when the ruling coalition is claiming to be farmer-friendly.? Is the Government entering the real estate business?”, an Opposition Congress leader wondered.

However, Acharya, who refused to elaborate on the Government’s decision, merely said several vested interests were eying the precious property and the Government had decided to publicly auction it and raise resources to implement developmental programmes.