The Government cannot change or discontinue the Bengaluru-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor project undertaken by the Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises (NICE) as there is a Supreme Court ruling, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said on Thursday.
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“The direction of the court is to the effect that the project be executed as conceived originally and that the framework agreement be implemented in letter and spirit while executing the project,” Shivakumar said in response to a query raised by Congress MLC Madhu G Madegowda in the Legislative Council, which is in session at Belagavi.
Shivakumar, who is also the Bengaluru development minister, read the part of the Supreme Court judgement, and said the Government could neither add anything to the original plan nor delete anything from it.
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Madegowda urged the Government to discontinue the project. “Already, the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway is operational. Why cannot the Government discontinue the NICE project so that the land identified under the Bengaluru Mysore Infrastructure Corridor Area Planning Authority for acquisition can be given back,” he said.
Shivakumar said that even the local MLA had approached him multiple times with the same request.
“Even if I want to drop it, I cannot do it as there is a three-bench judgment. But the local-level issues, including plan sanction for the construction of houses, can be sorted out through the legal authorities concerned,” he added.
“The land conversion and building plan approval can be done online. We have deputed town planning officers in Mandya to look into the matter. Even online applications received for land conversions at the district commissioner’s office will be verified, and a technical opinion will be given,” he said.
What is the Bengaluru-Mysore corridor project?
The Karnataka Government, under then chief minister H D Devegowda, passed an order in 1995 to create a rapid transit expressway between Mysuru and Bengaluru, considering the future growth of the cities. A memorandum of understanding was thus signed between the Government and NICE to construct a four-lane expressway, with a provision to extend it to six lanes in future. According to the original project, five new townships were supposed to be developed along the corridor.