BMIC row: State to take Reddy committee road

BMIC row: State to take Reddy committee road

Deccan Herald

Chief Minister N Dharam Singh on Thursday said the government would abide by the recommendations of the K C Reddy Committee in the multi-crore Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor Project.

There is no question of backtracking on the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor Project including the townships. However, there are allegations against the project promoters -Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise -that they have taken land in excess of the agreement drawn between the government and company. "This issue has to be looked into. We will go by the recommendations of the K C Reddy panel. The final report to be submitted by the panel would be discussed at the next Cabinet meeting", he said when contacted by Deccan Herald.
Meanwhile, sources in the Public Works Department said the case pertaining to the BMIC project would be coming up for hearing on Friday, before the Karnataka High Court.

The government would have to make its stand clear on the land to be given to the company for the road and townships. Sources in the law department said the government was firm on adhering to the committee report, which has observed that a total of 2,450 acres and 25.75 guntas of land was in excess of the land required for Section A of the project. The excess land which has been acquired for the project should be redeemed, it has said.

In the last State Cabinet meeting, which was held on December 31, the government while deciding to go by the panel’s interim report, had decided that the excess land given for the company should be redeemed.

As recommended by the panel, the Cabinet was also of the view that 2,387 acres and 32 guntas of land was required for the proposed township near Bidadi. So far, the panel has discussed and analysed the framework agreement pertaining to Scheme A, which covers road work from Bangalore to Bidadi and the Bidadi township.

In addition, the committee has also recommended that the place of arbitration should be Bangalore, instead of London. It has observed that as both the government and company, which are parties of the agreement are from India and the work is also being executed in India, it is recommended that Indian arbitration laws are only made applicable. The above modifications to the framework agreement should be done with mutual consent, the report said.

The report has recommended that the “total extent of 2,387 acres and 32 guntas requested by the company for the purpose of the Bidadi township may be allowed in a single continous block. However, any isolated pieces of land may be deleted. No further request for additional land should be entertained”, it said.

The report has also said 1,180 acres 20 guntas of land should be made available to the company for commencing work from the Mysore side and the company should start on it immediately, it added.

It has further said the government and Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board should be made respondents in the writ appeal by the company before the High Court instead of appellants after consultation with the law department.
Other recommendations of the Reddy panel report are:
*Land required for road/interchange/service area/service road not exceeding 2,080 acres should be handed over to the firm on a priority basis.
*In case of government lands already handed over and not required, the same should be resumed and taken back from the firm.
*In case of a township, land should be handed over only after the firm obtaining environment clearance from the Ministry of Environment and Forests.
*Wherever lands are already with the company, work should start immediately.


ROAD PORTION

Particulars Land reqd
(in acres)

Peripheral Road 760
Link Road 130
Expressway (12 kms) 270
Interchanges 750
Service Area 170 Total 2,080

Land for Section A of BMIC

Particulars Land reqd (in acres)
Roads, interchanges, service road etc 2080
Extent of land for Bidadi township 2387

Total 4467

The land notified by KIADB 6918.17
The land actually required as per the panel 4467
The excess land identified 2450