K`taka to release land only for road project

K`taka to release land only for road project
Business Standard

A day after the Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises declared open a small stretch of road defying the authority’s directive, the JDS-BJP government has sought to “limit the scope” of the project by declaring that it will release the land required for road construction and not immediately for five townships.

“Under the project, NICE has to construct a 162 km of road requiring 6,999 acres and the state is ready and willing to forthwith fulfill its obligations in view of the Supreme Court order,” additional chief secretary and principal secretary to PWD P B Mahishi said in a letter addressed to NICE.

The state is taking emergent steps to make available 2,193 acres for construction of peripheral road and seven interchanges and 278 acres for a link road and an interchange, the letter said.

“You (NICE) as a respondent before the Supreme Court is equally bound to honour the verdict to implement the project as “originally conceived” and confine yourself to the rights available in the framework agreement,” it told NICE, the executors of the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor Project envisaging a six-lane expressway and five townships.

Mahishi pointed out that the Supreme Court has recorded in its judgment that “it is pertinent to note that NICE can develop township only after expressway is completed” and thus delineating the road component from townships project.

The letter also drew the attention of NICE to a verdict of the state high court delivered on September 9, 1998, which clearly delineated the extent of land to be made available/used for implementing the project and the scope of activities to be carried out.