Karnataka: Villagers who gave up land for Hassan airport seek construction of road

The residents of villages around the land acquired for the Hassan airport at Boovanahalli near Hassan have urged the State government to lay a 30-ft road around the airport enclave for the benefit of the local people. They have resolved to launch protests if the government does not take up the road work within 15 days.

In a press conference in Hassan on Monday, R.P. Venkateshamurthy, a senior journalist and social activist of Hassan, said that the residents of villages, including Dyavalapura, Mylanahalli, Thendehalli, Lakshmisagara, Boovanahalli gave up their land for the airport years ago. However, the project remained incomplete. The villagers had been suffering without easy access to Hassan after the construction of a compound wall around the airport land.

“The construction activity has engulfed footpaths through which the local residents would reach their farmlands. The villagers had to take a long route to reach Hassan town. They have been demanding a 30-ft round along the compound wall so that they can move easily. The government should consider their demand and take up the work at the earliest,” he said.

The villagers stated that they would launch a protest if the government did not respond to their demand within 15 days. Prameela, Nagaraju, Honne Gowda, Jayalakshmi, Shankar, and other villagers were present at the press conference.