Alignment drawings submitted to Government: NICE

Alignment drawings submitted to Government: NICE

The Hindu

We have been giving all details to the empowered committee, says Ashok Kheny

# What he says There was no reason to state that officials were misguided or not kept informed about land being acquired
# Drawings furnished in May 2004 showed the alignment of all proposed roads of the project and locations of the townships

Bangalore: Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE) Limited on Monday denied the reported remarks of Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy that detailed alignment maps and other specifics about the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project were not furnished to the Government.

"Alignment drawings furnished in May 2004 showed the alignment of all proposed roads of the project and locations of the townships. Since the Government Order of January 2001 asking us to commence the expressway work simultaneously from the Bangalore and Mysore ends was issued, we have been giving all details to the empowered committee chaired by the Chief Secretary," NICE managing director Ashok Kheny said in a letter to the Chief Minister.

The empowered committee had included the Secretaries of Finance, Revenue, Housing, Urban Development, Forests and Environment and Ecology, Law, PWD and others, he said.

Wherever there was specific need for acquiring land, the Principal Secretary, PWD, was first approached, he said.

When request for land at the Mysore end was made, all detailed maps were furnished. In all these instances, the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board was kept informed, Mr. Kheny said in the letter.

Compensation

"As on date, we have deposited Rs. 100.48 crore towards land compensation with the KIADB for which we have not received the utilisation statement. It is on record that a large amount of money deposited in the past has remained unused with KIADB," he said. There was thus no cause for stating officials were misguided or not kept informed about lands being acquired. On the other hand, the officials were misguiding the Government, he alleged.