Infrastructure Bill is roadblock to progress

Bangalore Blues
Infrastructure Bill is roadblock to progress
The Times of India


JUST when Bangaloreans heaved a sigh of relief in the belief that the Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor project would finally be completed, they have been given a rude shock. In an apparently belated reaction to the sharp Supreme Court ruling which allowed the Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise to go ahead with the Bangalore-Mysore expressway project, the Karnataka government now plans to introduce the Karnataka Infrastructure Development and Land Reforms Bill which will deal with what it perceives as excess land granted to the promoters. While the government has been at pains to clarify that this Bill will cover only those projects which require more than 5,000 acres, the fact of the matter is that currently the BMIC project is the only project that will come under it. The provisions of this Bill include setting up a committee to be headed by a high court judge, which will review all such projects. This is widely seen as just another means of putting yet another hurdle in the BMIC project’s path, the soft launch of a section of which is scheduled later this month. In fact, it’s also being perceived as a means to nationalise this much-needed mega infrastructure project.

While excess land is the ostensible trigger for this Bill, it’s also a severe blow to public-private partnerships. Even as the government admits that it cannot be directly involved in all infrastructure projects, it would do well to step aside when an entrepreneur is ready to step in and execute them. The Karnataka government seems to be intent on placing roadblocks along every kilometre of the BMIC expressway. While its motives might become clearer in the days to come, the harm will already have been done. For not only will this particular project be delayed yet again as it will have inevitably to go through the due process of law, it will also deter potential investors from putting their money in such joint ventures. If the government was so concerned about the excess land, why was it given in the first place? Will it require the Supreme Court, yet again, to come to the rescue of the promoter? Many well-meaning entrepreneurs and investors have already shied away from having anything to do with the PPPs, simply because the government doesn’t know when to stand aside and let them get on with the job. Today, it’s Bangalore, tomorrow it could be India. Such Bills are the bane of genuine infrastructure development.