The future of one of India’s biggest real estate projects — a township on 9,684 acres of land at Bidadi, just outside Bangalore — hangs in the balance with new Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa and members of his BJP ministry insisting on another review.

The estimated Rs 50,000-crore Bidadi Integrated Township Project, sometimes also referred to as the Knowledge City, has passed muster with three different government combinations in the state already.

When the BJP Government came to power in June, the project had already been approved by a Congress-JD(S) regime, a JD(S)-BJP one — at a Cabinet meeting boycotted by the BJP members — and reviewed favourably by a panel of the Governor’s advisors, set up during President’s rule.

It was after Yeddyurappa took over that the state’s Urban Development Department received the go-ahead from the Governor’s advisors, and it had written to the Industries Department to proceed with the issue of preliminary notifications for land acquisition.

A DLF Ltd-led consortium identified as the preferred bidder by the JD(S)-BJP government headed by H D Kumaraswamy had also deposited Rs 300 crore as security for the project.

While the consortium has proposed to pay Rs 57.5 lakh per acre for the land provided for the project, the Government intends to pay land losers up to Rs 28 lakh as compensation.

However, questions have begun appearing over the project, with a senior BJP minister connected to Urban Development, R Ashok, insisting on a further review. Sources in the department said the Chief Minister has also sought a fresh presentation regarding the project before his Cabinet.

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