Gowda redrew NICE for self

Gowda redrew NICE for self
R. JAYAPRAKASH
| BENGALURU


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Even as former prime minister and JD(S) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda kept up his war of words against the BangaloreMysore Infrastructure Corridor project (BMICP) being implemented by NICE, raising questions over land acquisition for the project that he claims is tilted against the farmer, it appears that Mr Gowda may have moved the first township to secure his own land from being acquired for the development.
Contrary to claims that neither he nor his family members own land near the BMICP, documents available with Deccan Chronicle reveal that as the then chief minister, Mr Gowda shifted the first township of BMICP from Banashankari -- where he owned land -to Bidadi, where the first township is now coming up.
The Township No. 1 (Corporate Centre) of BMICP was originally planned near Kengeri (Banashankari VI Stage of BDA and near the cloverleaf intersection of NICE Expressway and Peripheral Road).

A portion of the township also required lands from Devagere village, Kengeri Hobli, Bangalore South Taluk. Accordingly, the state government in its note No. PWD 155 CRM 95 dated 31st July 1997 earmarked the lands required for the BMICP, signed by the then chief sSecretary and circulated to all the concerned departments.
Among the villages listed for the implementation of the BMICP, Devagere was also one of the villages. In the said village, lands situated in Survey Nos. 8/1A, 9, 10/1, 11, 12/1, 13 and 15 were also listed, which was required for the Township No.1.

These lands belong to the family of H D Deve Gowda.

Documents in possession of this paper reveal that in Survey 7/1A, Deve Gowda owns 4 acres 27 guntas in his father-in-law's's name, ie, KM Honappa, in survey 15, his son H D Balakrishne Gowda and daughter-in-law H Kavitha own 5 acres and 37 guntas. Around the same area his relatives including KP Sushila, BM Shivaramu, Rangappa, own close to 20 acres.

At the time Mr Gowda's party the Janata Dal (S) ruled, Township No. 1 was shifted from the location near Devagere village to the present location near Bidadi to facilitate the non-inclusion of the lands that belonged to his family.

The decision to relocate Township No. 1 was taken in the 2nd Empowered Committee Meeting held on 6th April 1998 under the Chairmanship of B K Bhattacharya, the then Chief Secretary. The reasons for relocating the Township No.1 were cited as the land being located in the Green Belt Area.