Members of Karnataka Navanirmana Sene staged a protest in Kalaburagi city on October 7 opposing the reported move to provide land belonging to the Zonal Agricultural Research Station (ZARS), on the Krishi Vigyan Kendra campus in Kalaburagi, for a private healthcare project.

The Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) campus in Kalaburagi, in Kalyana Karnataka, operates under the aegis of the University of Agricultural Sciences, Raichur, and works closely with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) to support local farming communities.

The protest came amid farmers’ opposition to the proposed diversion of land belonging to the research station. The protesters gathered at Jagat Circle in Kalaburagi. They raised slogans against the proposal and urged the authorities concerned to prevent diversion of agricultural research land for non-agricultural purposes.

Karnataka Navanirmana Sene district president Ravi N. Degaon said the Agriculture Research Station land was important for agricultural research, experiments, and activities benefiting farmers in the region. He appealed to the government of Karnataka, and the authorities concerned to reconsider the proposal, and ensure that the land is retained for agricultural and research-related purposes.

On October 7, a team of officials, including Assistant Commissioner Ritika Verma and Tahsildar K. Anand Sheel, visited the ZARS premises to conduct a survey of the land.

The visit and survey took place against the backdrop of opposition from farmers and some social organisations to the proposed use of the land for a private healthcare project.