K'taka Assembly adjourned for day, amidst Cong dharna

Bangalore, July 6 (UNI) The Opposition Congress today staged a dharna in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, demanding a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities in the execution of the Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor project, even as the Government announced a judicial probe into it.

Amidt the dharna, Speaker Krishna adjourned the House for the day.

Responding to a marathon discussion on the issue, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, in his over four-hour-long reply, dwelt at length on the project details and repeatedly accused the promoters, Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises, of being keen on real estate development than the project itself. The judicial probe would be completed within two months, he assured.

Rejecting the Opposition's demand for a CBI probe, claiming that there had been instances of the CBI working under ''pressure'', he, however, announced that criminal proceedings would be initiated against those officials who had connived with NICE.

Mr Kumaraswamy announced that the Government would recover the excess land notified for the project and return it to the farmers as per legal provisions.

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