It amounts to contempt: NICE

It amounts to contempt: NICE
Deccan Herald

In a strongly worded letter to the Principal Secretary, Commerce and Industries on Monday, Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE) has urged the State Government against the denotification.

Two days after reports appeared on the State Government’s plans to denotify certain survey numbers around the Gottigere Lake from land acquisition for the Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC), the expressway’s promoters have raised alarm. In a strongly worded letter to the Principal Secretary, Commerce and Industries on Monday, Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE) has urged the State Government against the denotification. “...failing which, we will be forced to initiate appropriate action against you in particular and Government in general,” the letter said.

According to a communication (dated 30-03-07) sent by the Project Co-ordinator of BMIC Project to the Principal Secretaries of PWD and Commerce and Industries, the State Government is set to denotify survey nos 104/2 to 104/7 in Gottigere Village from land acquisition for the expressway. The NICE letter reminds the Principal Secretary that the matter was subjudice since the change of alignment of the expressway was still pending before the High Court of Karnataka. “... any such action (denotification) would amount to contempt of court and also perjury on your part...” the letter added.

After NICE changed the original alignment to around the 500-year-old lake, and not over it, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) had rapped the promoters for “violating” the original alignment. The government has been allegedly “protecting” the survey numbers — that run to 13 acres and six guntas — from land acquisition for the 41-km peripheral road planned as part of BMIC.

SLAO go-ahead

The denotification plans, interestingly, have surfaced less than a month after the Special Land Acquisition Officer, KIADB (BMICP) himself had given the go-ahead for acquisition of the said survey numbers.

In an order dated 02-02-2007, the SLAO had rejected the objections filed by the land owners.

“I am satisfied that the land comprised in Survey Nos 104/2 to 104/7 of Gottigere Village is required for the purpose for which it has been notified under Section 28(1) of the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Act,” the order said.

The order further recommended to the State Government notification of the survey numbers.