Ryots dig up expressway, NICE to go ahead with inauguration

Bangalore, June 11 (UNI) Undeterred by protests and acts of vandalism, Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE), executors of the controversial multi-crore Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project, has decided to go ahead with the inauguration of the first phase of the project and throw open the 9.2-km stretch of the expressway on June 16.

The controversy over the BMIC project took an ugly turn yesterday when farmers dug up a section of the expressway near Hemmigepura village on the outskirts of the city to register their protest against the project. They later sat on a dharna demanding, among other things, higher compensation for the land they had given for the project.

Reacting to the incident, NICE Managing Director Chairman Ashok Kheny said ''We know who is behind this act of vandalism. We have booked a case with the Talaghatpura police. I hope the police will take suitable action and bring the guilty to the book. We will repair the dug up part of the road and will throw open the stretch of the highway on June 16 as announced earlier,'' he added.

Talking to newspersons here today, Forest Minister C Chennigappa, also Bangalore Rural District in-charge Minister, said the state government would take action against those responsible for the act of vandalism. ''We are not against the project. We are only against NICE acquiring excess land for it. We will take back the excess land in the interests of the farmers. My party (JD-S) is in no way involved in the yesterday's incident,'' he added.

Talaghattapura Police Inspector Subramanya told UNI that no arrests had been made in connection with yesterday's incident.

He said the villagers continued their protest for the second day today demanding that NICE provide them facilities like roads and borewell and pay a higher compensation for their land.

With the state government not handing over about 2,450 acres of land required for the completion of the first phase of the project, NICE had constructed the roads without entry and exit ramps.

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