Final notification of 206 acres of land for expressway component recommended

Final notification of 206 acres of land for expressway component recommended

The Hindu

KIADB proposal to allot land to NICE sent to Ministry of Commerce and Industry

# Land for township in first phase identified
# Process of notifying land for township set in motion
# Survey work expected to take time

Bangalore: The April 20 order of the Supreme Court is finally coming to the rescue of Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE) Ltd. in getting the land required for implementing the ambitious Rs. 2,200-crore Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project, but only partially.

The Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) has recommended issuing of the final notification for about 206 acres of land required for the expressway. "We have sent a proposal to the Commerce and Industry Ministry for issuing final notification in respect of 206 acres of land required for the expressway component of the project," KIADB sources said. After the notification is published in the official gazette, NICE will be asked to make the payment, which will be used to pay the landowners and the land will be transferred to the project developer. The final notification is expected soon, he added.

Land for township

Further, the process of notifying the land required for developing a township has been set in motion. While the land has been identified, the survey work is expected to take time. "Moreover, the actual requirement of land for the township will have to be ascertained through a joint measurement by the PWD, the KIADB, NICE and the Survey Department. NICE also has to furnish the environment clearance certificate from the Union Government and other clearances including pollution clearance certificate for the township," sources said. The township that is planned under the first phase of the project requires about 2,775 acres.

Out of the approximately 6,200 acres required for completing the first phase, the State Government has already transferred 2,000-odd acres to NICE. It is yet to transfer 800 acres, which has been acquired.

On April 20, the Supreme Court ordered the implementation and completion of the project "expeditiously" as originally envisaged while dismissing a bunch of appeals filed by the State Government and others against the May 3, 2005 judgment of the Karnataka High Court, which had permitted the completion of the project.

No time frame

The expeditious implementation and completion of the project now hinges on quick transfer of land to the project developer. The Supreme Court, in this case, has not, however, imposed any time frame for transfer of land from the Government to NICE.