ShivamoggaResidents of Sogane and neighbouring villages in Shivamogga taluk began a protest on Thursday in front of Shivamogga Airport, condemning the delay in allotting sites to those who parted with their land for the airport project.The protesters alleged that the State government had been delaying granting the sites which were promised at the time of land acquisition for the project. The promise was made in 2007, when B.S. Yediyurappa was the Deputy Chief Minister in the JD(S)-BJP coalition government.The government acquired 34 acres of land and developed these through the Karnataka Housing Board but the sites were not allotted to those who had parted with their land. M.B. Krishnappa, president of the committee fighting for the farmers, said that 450 farmers’ families had given up 800 acres of land for the airport project. The government had assured the families a 60/40 sqft site, besides the cash component.The farmers had moved the court to get the sites. “We staged a protest during the inauguration of the airport in 2023. Apart from that, we fought the legal battle too. In a recent meeting with the Housing Minister, the government stated the sites would be allotted soon. However, we have not gotten the sites,” Mr. Krishnappa said.The protesters said that they would continue with the protest until their demand is met, adding that otherwise, they would gradually intensify the protest and also lock the gate to the airport.Eom/ photo availablePublished - October 09, 2025 07:24 pm IST