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Ballari farmers fight to save land from Jindal’s railway project

Farmers in Ballari have voiced strong opposition to the proposed railway line between Haddinagundu and Halakundi, which is being laid for Jindal Steel Works. They argue that the project will take away their precious agricultural land. On Monday, hundreds of farmers participated in a protest rally, marching from Royal Circle to the Deputy Commissioner’s office, where they demanded the government halt the project.

A memorandum was submitted to Deputy Commissioner Prashant Kumar Mishra, urging action to stop the railway project in the best interests of the farming community. The memorandum highlighted that the proposed railway route will pass through valuable industrial areas, including NHB-approved cold storage, tar mixture units, small-scale manufacturing, residential buildings, and agricultural lands, as well as temples, causing significant harm to local people and farmers.

The document also pointed out that residents of South Ballari have been sacrificing their land for development projects such as railways and industries since the British era, leaving them with very limited land resources for their livelihood.

Farmer leader K. Nagaraj told the reporters that if the project moves forward, farmers and other locals will be forced to intensify their protests. “I have already given my land for a canal and national highway. Many others have lost land for various development projects. We are left with very little land, and if this railway project goes ahead, we will lose whatever we have left. We do not want that to happen, and we will continue to protest more vigorously if necessary,” he said.

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