The green cost: Close to 2 lakh trees to be felled for Bidadi AI Township

If nine villages in Bidadi are acquired for the AI-powered township project, nearly two lakh trees will have to be felled to facilitate the development.

These include 83,536 arecanut trees, 87,903 coconut trees, 12,550 mango trees, and 3,06,506 banana plants, in addition to 2,344 chikoo trees, about 2,500 rose plants, several custard apple trees, and silk fields. The area will also witness the destruction of jackfruit, ragi, paddy, red gram, cowpea, field bean, corn, groundnut, and horse gram crops. The biggest impact will be on ragi cultivation, which is spread across 231 acres.

This is according to data sourced from an official reply to an RTI query by a famer to the Horticulture Department, Bengaluru South District, a copy of which is with The Hindu and valid as of February, 2026.

The protesting farmers pointed out that not only the large-scale destruction of green cover, but also the loss of the quality of life that farming has provided them.

Pointing to the data, Nagaraju M.R., a farmer protesting against the project, questioned the government’s claims that farmers in the region are suffering losses from agriculture and that there is no demand for the crops grown there. “Which farmers who are suffering losses continue to grow such a wide variety of crops? The numbers alone suggest how farmers in this region are thriving,” he said.

Mr. Nagaraju’s over 10-acre landholding in Mandalahalli, one of the nine revenue villages earmarked for acquisition, has been included in the recent final notification gazette. Nevertheless, he has continued to protest against the project.

However, a senior Greater Bengaluru Development Authority (GBDA) official maintained that crop yields from villages in the region are not readily accepted in markets. “Because of the polluted Byramangala Lake, crop quality is affected, creating a general aversion among traders. They (farmers) are barely making any profit, and the protests are purely political.”

Compensation

According to the GBDA documents, the government is also compensating farmers for every tree grown on their land, with minimum and maximum rates fixed for each variety.

For example, for a coconut tree, compensation has been fixed at a minimum of ₹25,000 and a maximum of ₹40,000. For mango trees, the limits have been set at a minimum of ₹45,000 and a maximum of ₹65,000 per tree.

The GBDA official told The Hindu that officials from the Horticulture Department would determine the compensation amount. “The department will calculate how much compensation should be paid for each tree based on criteria established before the project. Officials will survey the trees before fixing the price,” the official said.

The criteria that the department will consider include the age of the tree, its lifespan, yield capacity, soil fertility, previous yield figures, projected yield potential, and the profit that the tree is capable of generating for farmers.

Loss of green cover

Yashavantha T., State general secretary of Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha (KPRS), pointed out that the green cover in Bidadi has a significant positive influence on Bengaluru’s weather and serves as an essential green space that is now under threat.

“Ironically, Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has extended support to Rahul Gandhi, who is leading a campaign against environmentally destructive projects in other parts of the country. However, here in Karnataka, where they are in power, they are pursuing similarly eco-destructive projects,” he told The Hindu.

Amid the debate over the loss of green cover, farmers are also highlighting the social impact of the project. They argue that those whose lands are acquired will be left without any means for cultivation. They also alleged that the implementing agency has avoided conducting a social impact assessment of the project.