Nice road bypasses Deve Gowda block

The first stretch of the expressway between Bangalore and Mysore is opened.

BANGALORE: The first stretch of 10 km of the controversial 113 km expressway between Bangalore and Mysore was opened for traffic on Friday, despite a last minute attempt by the Karnataka government to stop the “soft launch” by citing a procedural lapse by the project promoters.

The Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE) consortium went ahead with the inauguration, against a directive by the state public works department (PWD) that wanted to check the road’s quality before allowing traffic.

The Janata Dal (secular) and the BJP,  partners in the ruling coalition that have charged NICE with allegations of land grabbing, boycotted the event. Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, who had mooted legislation to take over the project, said that he would abide by the Supreme Court direction on the matter.

“If the government allots the entire land required for the project, we will commission the entire stretch of the expressway by 2007-end,” NICE Managing  Director Ashok Kheny said.

NICE has envisaged five townships in 20,193 acres of land on the expressway route and has been allotted only 2,400 acres of the estimated 5,350 acres required for the first phase.

Kumaraswamy, who owns 47.2 acres of land near the corridor has accused NICE of grabbing land from farmers and mooted legislation to take over the project but did not make headway due to rift with the BJP on the issue.  His father and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, meanwhile in Delhi accused the BJP leaders of being “mute spectators” and opposing the take-over for “other considerations.”

“This government was formed without my party’s approval. Now, when there is an opportunity to set right a project, which is indulging in loot in the name of boot (build, operate own, transfer), I am unable to understand why a national party is becoming a mute spectator,” Gowda, the brain behind his son’s strategy said.

NICE has invested about Rs700 crore on acquiring land and developing the road for the first stretch, Kheny said.

Meanwhile, liquor baron and Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Mallya said Kumaraswamy should devote time on burning issues of the state than politicking against NICE.

“Allegations about the company’s motives only add fuel to the fire. I think the state chief minister (H D Kumaraswamy) should use his time in far more productive manner in addressing the infrastructure requirements of Bangalore, the growing Naxalites problem and farmers issues in the state than trying to defend his 44 acres of land,” he said.