‘Hurdles strengthen ‘ my convictions

‘Hurdles strengthen ‘ my convictions
NICE Managing Director Ashok Kheny has a free-wheeling chat with R Jayaprakash on his trials and tribulations


Seven Prime Ministers, five chief ministers, nine PWD ministers, eight chief secretaries, eight PWD secretaries, six secretaries for urban development department, ten secretaries of infrastructure department, over 350 IAS officers, more than 100 cabinet meetings and nearly 10,500 signatures from government officials at various levels. Not to forget innumerable court hearings and judgments. That’s the list of trials Ashok Kheny, the man in the eye of the storm for over 10 years now, has endured. In an interview, he says he is still confident of pulling off the Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor project. Excerpts:
How did the project happen?
I planned this project in a hurry and believe it or not, I wished it would be rejected. After a successful career
in railroads and infrastructure projects in the US for over 15 years, I had peacefully retired. I got married in 1992 at 42 and was enjoying married life in the US, especially after I had twins.
One morning in 1995, I got a call from the governor of Massachusetts, William F Feld, to join his delegation to India. He wanted me to draw up a project for Bangalore since I was from Karnataka. During a previous visit to India, I had a confrontation with a bureaucrat after I decried Mysore city’s shabbiness and its lack of infrastructure. He said that we NRIs only talked, and challenged me to be different. This prompted me to draw up the BMIC plan, though I thought it would be rejected. But the H D Deve Gowda government, which received the delegation, liked the idea and even signed an MoU.
How did it run into rough weather?
After the MoU was signed, I went back to the drawing board and prepared a detailed report. It took some time. I would come to India once a month and review the progress. Finally, on August 27, 1996, I made a presentation to Deve Gowda and his cabinet. They gave it the thumbsup. With the support of Baba Kalyani of Kalyani Group, I took it up. There were initial hiccups though, as I wasn’t here all the time.
I had no idea of how to implement the project here. In the US, everything was done according to the rule book. I learnt that in India, about 17 legislations had to be modified or amended — there was no provision for toll roads, income-tax policy for infrastructure project and so on. I had heard about Enron’s bitter experience. Many officials advised me to cultivate a political godfather and throw the rule book out of the window. But I refused to pawn the future of millions for the sake of two or three socalled leaders.
How did it get politicised?
Blame it on my innocence or ignorance. Till J H Patel’s rule, everything was smooth. It took three years to put everything in place. When the Congress government under S M Krishna took over, we had finished freezing the alignment with the help of the National Remote Sensing Agency and I submitted it to the government. Some IAS officers then came to me and advised me to change the alignment as their properties were getting affected. I was flabbergasted; it came as a culture shock to me. I told them it would never happen. This was the turning point. A section of the bureaucrats brainwashed S M Krishna and called me the frontman for H D Deve Gowda and his family and that the project belongs to them. And so, in four-and-half years, we could get only two meetings with the chief minister. Sensing there was no political will to complete the project, the IAS lobby began to tighten the noose on the pretext of processes and procedures. Then began the saga of permissions, approvals, letters and court cases.
However, later, I was branded as a frontman for Krishna, B S Patil, R V Deshpande and D K Shivakumar. During the elections, on January 4, 2003, Deve Gowda summoned me and asked me to hand him over all papers which suggested S M Krishna and Co. were my partners. He said he would protect me and let the project go ahead. I didn’t understand what he was talking and told him that Kalyani Group and VHB were the only partners. He said I was lying and that it will make him angry. I wondered how he got this story.
He called me again. This time, he told me to let go of 2,455 acres and in return, promised me 5,000 acres elsewhere! I learnt through officials that he had made some commitments during the elections that the land would be denotified. I was upset and told him that he could help the project only if he wished to. He looked very furious and I left the place. The irony was that Dharam Singh, who supported the project all the time, also turned his back on me. He told me that he would lose his chief ministership if he supported me.
Gowda’s legal advisers told him that the only way to get the land back was by claiming that it was acquired fraudulently. They filed a case in the high court, claiming I had committed a fraud. But the high court ruled otherwise. Now, they are talking about a phoney company to take over the project.
You have been fighting against successive governments? What keeps you going?
Some say it is my stubbornness or pride that makes me take people at the helm of affairs head-on. That’s wrong. I have changed from being just an entrepreneur or a real estate developer. This project is my brainchild. I believe it will change the way India is looked at. I came here for a venture, but now I have realised that I am here for something more. We’ll create 26,000 crorepatis between Bangalore and Mysore! I’ll form a trust, leave all the gains out of this project and take back only what I have invested. It is this hope which makes me stronger. Every hurdle they pose, my conviction becomes stronger.
Another crucial factor is economics. Fourteen banks, financial institutions in India and abroad are proud to be associated with this project. They have told me that they will back this project as this is going to be the grand daddy of all infrastructure and real estate projects.
What kind of transformation are we looking at?
I am attached to the people who have given me land for the project and I believe that I will set an example to many who want to make a difference to this country. You may wonder why a businessman is saying this. I am no more a businessman. My thinking goes beyond corporate social responsibility.
Has it taken a toll on your family life?
Yes. I have missed out on the family front for more than 14 years. I miss them a lot and just take a flight when I feel lonely. But it’s okay since what I am doing is worth it. They understand the importance of what I am doing...
When do you think the project will be completed? What next?
I give this project another three years as we should be in Mysore by 2010. I have many offers from India and abroad to take up infrastructure projects. Even Pervez Musharraf wants me to do a similar project in Pakistan. But I’m going to retire after this project. My wife’s patience is wearing out, and I want to be with my children during their formative years.