Yet another spanner in BMIC works

Yet another spanner in BMIC works
The Times of India

Villagers Unhappy With NICE, Set Deadline For Their Demands

Hemmigepura (Bangalore Rural): Just 30 km from Bangalore, controversy simmers over an innocuous approach road near the BMIC peripheral road. It is threatening the project’s soft launch on June 16.

Turning the inaugural into another sort of deadline for promoters Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE), villagers of Hemmigepura have threatened to stop the road-opening if their demands are not met by then. Villagers have been accused of digging up the road near Kengeri in protest, but they refute this.

About 50 feet of the road between Hemmigepura and Konasandra is dug up. But villagers, staging a dharna since Saturday afternoon, threaten further damage to the freshly asphalted road.

The protesters complain that 25 villages, numbering nearly 6,000 people under Hemmigepura panchayat, have been deprived of good approach roads. “These people come to the panchayat to buy ration, kerosene and other daily necessities. But the approach road has been cut off,’’ farmer B Krishnappa said. The other grouse is that borewells and mini-drinking water schemes have become defunct due to the on-going BMIC road project’’, according to Panchalingaih, the village’s milk union president. Panchalingaiah’s wife is a taluk panchayat member representing the party, while Krishnappa is himself a JD(S) TP member. Thalaghattapura police have made security arrangements for the launch. Downplaying the protest, Bangalore rural district in-charge minister C Chennigappa said JD(S) is not involved. “It’s a conspiracy to tarnish our image.’’ Chennigappa said the government will shortly file a review petition against the SC judgment of April 20. Govt will take redeem excess land: Deputy CM B S Yediyurappa said in Shimoga on Sunday that the government is determined to take over the “excess’’ land given to the project promoters.

What villagers and NICE have to say

Villagers: NICE promised a site and job for every acre we gave up.
NICE: We will give 60 ft-by-40 ft site if the so-called excess land is released by government.
We never promised jobs.

Villagers: They were not given passes to use toll road.
NICE: We never promised passes. We have given underpasses, cattle walkways every 500 metres.


Villagers: Their lorries ruined our approach road. NICE: Our lorries stopped using that road 18 months ago. We fixed the road then. Now, it is PWD’s affair.

Villagers: We did not dig the road, NICE did it.
NICE: Media published facts. It is too costly for us.