The construction of the Karanja dam in Bidar district was completed four decades ago, but the people affected by the project are yet to receive compensation. They have been protesting peacefully in front of the deputy commissioner's office in Bidar since October 20, 2018, but officials have remained unresponsive to their demands. The dam was built in 1972 to provide drinking and irrigation water to the people of Bhalki tehsil in Bidar. Farmers in 26 villages gave up thousands of acres of fertile land for the project. The construction submerged nine villages and displaced 10,000 families. The government had identified the families who lost their land and announced a compensation of INR 16 lakh per acre, to which the farmers agreed. However, in the first installment, the government hardly paid half the promised amount. And there is no information on when the government will pay the remaining compensation. When the farmers approached officials, they were told that there was no money for compensation allocated in the budget. The farmers informed LCW that they will continue their protest until they are paid what they were promised. Bandeppa Manikappa Kashempur, a member of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly and Minister for Cooperation, told LCW that a team will be formed to rectify the issue. "I will also bring this to the notice of the chief minister," he added.