NICE start, but bitterness stays: Company defies Govt, opens road

NICE start, but bitterness stays: Company defies Govt, opens road
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises (NICE) thumbed its nose at the HD Kumaraswamy administration on Friday and went ahead with the opening of the 9.1-km Mysore Road-Kanakapura stretch against the government's wishes.

The Public Works department (PWD), which had insisted on some procedural formalities from NICE, has now decided to take appropriate action against the project promoters.

People began gathering at the function venue from morning itself. NICE too had sufficiently hyped up the occasion as it got two land-losers and 58 children launch the road.

No politician from the JD(S), BJP and the JD(U) turned up. The few politicians who showed up at the venue were all from the Congress and that included Sathanur MLA D.K. Shivakumar and Rajajinagar MLA N.L. Narendra Babu and ex-Mayors from Mysore. The corporate sector was represented by Infosys director Mohandas Pai besides Bharat Forge chairman Baba Kalyani, who incidentally is also the NICE chairman.

Pai said: “We have come here to lend our voice in support to projects like BMIC. We are eagerly waiting for the first phase to be completed. We should support such projects and they are important for development.”

The company had organised big crowds from near-by villages by hiring private buses. (NICE MD Ashok Kheny clamed the BMTC dumped them at the last minute by cancelling its buses, which the State-owned transport company has denied).

The villagers who arrived in private buses all stayed put at the venue till the cutting of ribbon was over, with folk dance troupes providing them sufficient entertainment with their performance.

The police arrived in good numbers, but there were no protesters or miscreants. Kheny claimed that the protests were always staged by JD(S) workers and not farmers who were all happy with the road project.

To repeated queries on NICE flouting the procedure by not fulfilling the mandatory notice period to the PWD, Kheny said the question of procedure will arise only after completion of phase I.

GOVT TAKE-OVER

The NICE MD said they will not allow the Government take-over of the project through a legislation. When a reporter raised this question, he shot back: “Will you allow if government takes over your house.”

In an obvious reference to the Chief Minister, NICE MD said: “Such issues cannot be left to the whims and fancies of an individual” and that “every citizen's right is protected under the Constitution.”

Asked if he was prepared for a debate on the project as desired by the Chief Minister, he retorted to say he was “not a politician” to indulge in debates.

NO TOLL

The new stretch will be allowed to be used by people without payment of toll till the toll gates were built, Kheny said.