Sale Of ‘Excess’ Land Proceeds To Fund City Infrastructure

State now chants auction mantra
Sale Of ‘Excess’ Land Proceeds To Fund City Infrastructure
The Times of India

Bangalore: The Karnataka government seems to have hit upon an incontrovertible reason for taking over the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure project (BMIC) from the present private promoters: Auction the ‘excess’ land which is under dispute and use the proceeds to fund Bangalore’s infrastructure projects.

This is one of the salient features of the draft legislation which is going to be tabled in both Houses of the legislature when they meet again from June 19. The Bill gives options to the government: to take over the ongoing BMIC project or entrust it to any agency including Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises (NICE) again.

The Bill envisages constituting the Infrastructure Development Fund and the money realised through auctioning the 2,451 acres “excess’’ land will be deposited to meet Bangalore’s infrastructure needs. “With the market value of one acre of land in the Peripheral Road fetching above Rs two crore, the sum would be a whopping one for 2,451 acres,’’ sources told The Times of India on Wednesday.

The draft was discussed threadbare at a meeting convened by JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda and attended by party’s seniors M P Prakash, Basavaraj Horatti, deputy chief minister B S Yediyurappa, revenue minister Jagdish Shettar and officials. Gowda’s contention reportedly was that the legislature is supreme in passing any legislation in public interest where the BMIC’s contractual agreement can be modified or nullified.

Sources said the decision to bring in the legislation is supported in the H T Somashekar Reddy’s case of 1997, where the high court said: “It is always open to the legislature to make such laws as it deem fit. It has been denied that the legislature and government of Karnataka are bound hand and foot to subserve the respondent’s interests.’’ Reddy had pleaded on the farmers behalf that their lands were being acquired.

The government reportedly has no intentions of disturbing any other aspect of the 1997 framework agreement on giving 20,193 acres of land. Another provision in the Bill is that if the auction money is five times more than the compensation paid, the money should be given to the farmer.

In another meeting on Tuesday, Gowda is said to have suggested that the draft Bill should be issued as an advertisement in all newspapers across the country seeking objections and suggestions from the public. But the BJP had reservations about the legislation per se and at the Tuesday night cabinet meeting, Yediyurappa sought two days time to get back on the issue. A resolution was adopted authorising CM H D Kumaraswamy to take a final decision.

It is learnt that the government is keen that the legislation be passed in the upcoming session. It does not rule out the possibility of NICE promoters approaching the Supreme Court again when it reopens on July 3.

“Gowda is aware that in the event of any adverse judgement from the court, his son may have to step down as CM. The BJP is in a fix as it does not want to lose power,’’ sources said.