Kheny debunks State’s allegations

Kheny debunks State’s allegations
Wednesday June 13 2007 10:44 IST

BANGALORE: Managing director of Nandi Infrastructure Enterprise Ltd (NICE) Ashok Kheny has denied the charges made by the Karnataka government in its petition to the Supreme Court.

Last week the government told the Apex Court that it would be forced to pull out of the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor project if NICE did not desist from fraudulent activities to earn more profits. The State also alleged that some of its officials were in collusion with the NICE.

Kheny told this paper that the SC had quashed State’s contention in an earlier case and had even imposed a penalty for delaying the project. ‘‘The project carries about 10,000 signatures of officials and who are they complaining about? Does the government think all its officials are corrupt? In that case they should initiate disciplinary action against them,’’ he said.

The government said that the land given to the NICE for developing townships was 1529 acres more than necessary to finance the project. The cost of the land would be about Rs 30,000 crore, it said. Kheny said that the frame work agreement was signed in 1997 and the cost of land was low then.

‘‘If they delay the project by another decade, the cost would further increase. But how come the government is not estimating the value of land it acquires for BDA and BMRDA projects?,’’ he asked.

The government’s petition is yet to be heard by SC and another case against the government is coming up before the Apex Court on June 15.