NICE expressways to crisscross state

NICE expressways to crisscross state
BY BHASKAR HEGDE and R. JAYAPRAKASH
BENGALURU


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Thirteen years after the controversial Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor Project (BMICP) was signed, Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise, the implementing agency, is set to reconnect Karnataka with nine expressways and four SEZs at a cost of Rs 2,500 crore.

NICE plans to approach the state government with projects to build four- to six-lane expressway under the Swiss Challenge Method. It will see ongoing projects undertaken by PWD connecting important towns under the Karnataka State Highway Improvement Project, brought under its purview.

Concurrently, a high level committee headed by chief secretary Sudhakar Rao cleared the hurdles for BMICP, where officials of departments concerned were directed to withdraw all directives issued against providing land to NICE for completion of 41 km of peripheral roads connecting Tumkur and Hosur. The company had not received land sanction in nine places including Gottigere on Bannerghatta Road.

Under the fresh proposals, NICE proposes to build a total of 2,518 km of fourlane roads at a cost of Rs 10 crore per km which will translate to over Rs 25,000 crore for roughly 2,500 km.

“Though the company had these proposals, we could not raise them in the hostile political environment. Now that a single party has come to power, we thought we could push this through,” sources said.