ECIA joins BMIC for peripheral road

ECIA joins BMIC for peripheral road
The Times of India


Bangalore: The beleaguered Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) has got a shot in the arm — The Electronic City Industries Association (ECIA) wants to implead itself into an ongoing case in the Supreme Court and demand early completion of the 41-km peripheral road.
The petition outlining the dire need for an alternative road to the congested Hosur Road and details the traffic chaos in the area, has been filed in the Supreme Court.
The apex court is hearing a case between the BMIC project company Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE) and the village panchayat of Gottigere.
The villagers of Gottigere are protesting against the perceived destruction of the Gottigere Lake. NICE has proposed to build an overpass on this lake, which the villagers feel will stop inflows into the water body.
The petition states that this stretch of land is crucial to complete the peripheral road, which will relieve a lot of the traffic chaos. It also refers to a Karnataka High Court judgment that has directed NICE to build the overpass over the Gottigere lake, rather than build the road around the lake.
Opposed: The Urban development department had opposed the impleading application filed by Environmental Support Group headed by Leo Saldanha over a PIL questioning the new alignment of the peripheral road of the Corridor project directly passing over the Gottigere Tank with pillars on the tankbed.
The department had claimed that the contents in the application were misleading and motivated, it has been filed to help vested interests.
The Bench, headed by Chief Justice Cyriac Joseph, adjourned the hearing to Jan. 31.
Petitioner, B K Chakrapani, alleged that such a construction would result in environmental and ecological degradation and is violative of the earlier orders issued by high court. The hearing was adjourned to January 24.