What promises to be a game-changer for north Karnataka’s connectivity — a 73-km direct railway line linking Belagavi and Dharwad via Kittur — has run headlong into resistance on the ground. Villagers of Mummigatti in Dharwad district, who appear in a recently uploaded video, say repeated past land acquisitions have left them with only a sliver of farmland and they refuse to surrender more for the project. The impasse highlights the gulf between headline project approvals and the hard reality of implementing them in rural areas.
Farmers: “We have only 5% land left”
In footage shot in the village and posted online, several farmers say earlier infrastructure work and industrial land allocations already took large portions of their holdings. “We have only five percent of our land remaining,” one villager tells the camera, adding that handing over even that small share would destroy families’ livelihoods. The tone is not just of loss but of anger: residents want clarity on why alternate alignments or mitigation were not explored and allege inadequate consultation by authorities.
The project on paper — long-standing, periodically revived
The Belagavi–Dharwad (via Kittur) line has been on official lists for years. South Western Railway lists the project as a new line of roughly 73.1 km, conceived to reduce travel time and provide a more direct north-Karnataka link, with the central and state governments listed as stakeholders. Estimates circulated in local reporting place the sanctioned cost in the hundreds of crores and project land requirements in the several hundred hectares range.
Conflicting signals on land acquisition and progress
Public statements and media reports show conflicting accounts of the land-acquisition status. Some local outlets and officials have recently claimed substantial progress — even completion — for the Belagavi district portion of acquisitions and the start of tendering activities. Other coverage and the villagers’ own assertions point to unresolved pockets of resistance in Dharwad, with zero or minimal acquisition completed there in practice. A Rajya Sabha reply and project portals also confirm that land acquisition and inter-governmental coordination remain the major hurdles for the scheme. The mixed messages have fuelled frustration in villages like Mummigatti, where expectations of fair process and compensation are high.
Why this matters locally and regionally
A direct Belagavi–Dharwad route could meaningfully shorten passenger and freight movement across a sprawling, agriculturally productive belt — a boon for commerce, education and emergency connectivity. However, the projected social cost is concentrated on smallholders whose land parcels are already fragmented by past projects. For them, the government’s calculation of regional gain looks abstract when set against lost seasons of cropping and uncertain compensation. The moral and political question is whether large infrastructure benefits can be fairly balanced with the very real hardships borne by a few.
Officials, politicians and the blame game
State and central politicians have periodically traded barbs over responsibility for delays. Some ministers and local leaders insist the Centre has sanctioned funds and the state must provide land and carry out rehabilitation; others say specialised clearances and final alignments are still to be agreed. Media accounts show occasional assertions that land acquisition in Belagavi is “complete” while acquisition in Dharwad is pending — a split that creates a patchwork of progress and deepens local mistrust.
What the villagers want
From the video and local reports, Mummigatti residents want: (a) full disclosure of the final alignment and the exact hectares to be taken from each holding, (b) independent assessment of crop-loss and rehabilitation needs, (c) genuine local consultations and public hearings, and (d) alternative alignments considered that minimize impact on cultivable land. They also demand that the state or rail authorities don’t press ahead without their free, informed consent.
Experts and local activists point to several practical steps that could break the deadlock: transparent release of alignment maps and parcel-level land data; third-party social and environmental impact assessments; time-bound compensation and livelihood restoration packages tied to inflation-indexed guarantees; and — where feasible — exploring minor route adjustments or engineering solutions (elevated sections, cuttings) that reduce land take. Political leadership that coordinates state revenue, railways and district administration to hold joint consultations could restore some trust.
The Belagavi–Dharwad via Kittur line remains a high-value infrastructure promise. But the Mummigatti flashpoint shows that project timelines and sanctioned budgets can founder on the ground when people feel unheard and uncompensated. Unless authorities move from announcements to open, accountable engagement with affected communities, the rail ambitions will remain a paper victory and a local grievance. For residents who say they have “only five percent” of their land left, any further acquisition is not just loss of property but risk to an entire way of life.