‘Nandigram if NICE wins’

‘Nandigram if NICE wins’
I Former CM angry over moves to reverse DLF and Nandagudi SEZ proposals I Kumaraswamy felt there was no need for an expressway between the city and Mysore when the existing highway could be widened.
BENGALURU


Article Rank





[Click To Enlarge]
The Janata Dal(S) state unit will launch a Nandigram-type agitation if the Yeddyurappa government goes ahead with its plans to hand over land to the Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise for any purpose other than the Bangalore-Mysore expressway project.

Announcing this on Thursday, former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy warned: “The people in the Cauvery basin will come on the streets to protest. Life will come to a standstill if they(the government) give land to NICE.” As per the memorandum of understanding between NICE and the state government, NICE is to develop two townships besides an industrial hub along the expressway.

Mr Kumaraswamy declined to react to the NICE move forwarding nine expressway proposals to the government. “We are not bothered about other proposals now. We are focussed on the BangaloreMysore expressway,” he said.

NICE is set to reconnect Karnataka with nine expressways and four SEZs at a cost of Rs 2,500 crore. It is planning to build four to six-lane expressways under the Swiss Challenge Method.

Mr Kumaraswamy felt there was no need for an expressway between the city and Mysore when the existing four-lane highway could be widened to a six-lane highway. The former CM also spoke about the new international airport. “Long back, my father raised the issue and said that the airport consortium was planning real estate business.

Not many agreed with him with some people even suspecting him of something devious. Today, even Congress leaders like D.K. Shivakumar and the BJP are fol lowing in his footsteps saying that the BIA is a glorified warehouse. The state government should consider these issues in all seriousness and be careful while allotting land for such projects,” he added.

Explaining the “vindictive attitude” of the BJP government, Mr Kumaraswamy said the government was planning to reverse the DLF and Nandagudi SEZ proposals which were approved by earlier governments. “I do not mind if the government does this for some strong reasons. Why should they cancel the proposals just because they were cleared by my government?”