K'taka Govt fails to hand over land for Expressway project

Mysore, June 1: The state-of-the-art expressway, under the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project, will be thrown open for traffic by December 2007, if the Karnataka Government hands over the land required for the project immediately.

Informing this at the project presentation, organised by the Builders Associaton of India here last night, Project executor Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises (NICE) Managing Director Ashok Kheny said the work on the 111-km expressway was yet to begin from Mysore side due the 'failure' of the state government to hand over the land for the project, despite writing several letters to it.

He said the Mysore Urban Development Authority should had over the land to the company immediately.

Mr Kheny announced that the first phase of the project, a 23 km stretch between Bangalore-Kanakapura, would be thrown open for traffic on June 16. Though the government was creating hurdles in acquiring the land at the entry and exit points, the company was confident of solving the issue, he added.

Mr Kheny said the world class expressway, being constructed at a cost of Rs 2,500 crore, would facilitate travel at the speed of 120 kmph.

He assured that his company would take up rehabilitation of villagers whose land had been acquired for the project and create a world class infrastructure without harming the environment.

Apart from setting up seven townships as part of the project, NICE also intended to construct a hanging bridge across river Cauvery near Mysore on the lines of the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco, US, he revealed.

He said the prestigious Ambani Group, which owned 15 per cent equity share in the BMIC project, would look after the telecommunication network.

Mr Kheny said the company had won 330 cases and so far received 10,500 approvals for the project. The project envisaged a complete infrastructure system and community development plan to maximise the value of the expressway. Water, electricity and communications utilities would be designed and constructed within the Infrastructure Corridor. Modern transmission and distribution technologies would be used to provide reliable service for current and future needs, he added.

As part of the mega venture, NICE had decided to implement various projects, including providing Mono Rail between Bangalore and Mysore to travel at a speed of 200 km per hour to cover the distance between the two cities in just 40 minutes.

Mr Kheny informed that a convention hall would be constructed on an area of 70,000 sq ft on the outskirts of Bangalore to enable hosting of international exhibitions. The first exhibition would be held in January next and it was expected to attract about one lakh visitors.

NICE had also planned to construct a bus terminal to save nearly Rs 300 crore for bus operators, apart from preventing vehicles from entering the heart of the city and a truck terminal, with cold storage facilities, for parking 600 vehicles.

He said the entire project, expected to be completed in 13 years, included five theme parks en route the expressway to attract tourists.

Of the 45 important projects signed by the state government in the past, BMIC was the only project that had survived till date and this development project was all set to improve the standard of living of people of the state.

UNI