Township projects can wait, govt tells NICE

Township projects can wait, govt tells NICE
Vijay Times

In yet another twist in the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project saga, the government has directed the Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enteprise (NICE) not to take up the five township projects until it has completed the 162-km road project, including the 111-km BangaloreMysore express highway.

State Additional Chief Secretary and PWD Principal Secretary P B Mahishi has, in a 12-page letter to the NICE written recently and released to the Press on Saturday, directed it to first complete the express highway and the 41-km peripheral road, besides the 9.8-km link road as per the Framework Agreement and also the High Court directive.

He said that the State government was taking emergent measures to provide 2,103 acres of land for construction of peripheral road and seven interchanges, besides 278 acres of land to complete the link road.

The total extent of land required for the construction of the 162-km road was 6,999 acres -- 4,528 acres for the 111 -km expressway, interchanges and tollgates, 2,193 acres for the 41-km peripheral road and 278 acres for the 9.8-km link road, he pointed out.

NICE Managing Director Ashok Kheney, while confirming the receipt of the letter, contended that at no stage had his company said it wanted to go for the township projects before the completion of the road project.

He alleged that the government had not released even the required land for the road project. We are not in a hurry to take up the township projects and we have been saying this for the past one decade. The government had already notified the land and let it release the same so that the farmers could get their money, he said.



NICE-GOVT SPAT

4 4 Govt asks NICE not to take up townships until road works are over

4 4 NICE needs 6,999 acres to complete 162-km road

4 4 NICE not taking up any townships, says its MD

4 4 He alleges even land needed for road works not yet released