Politicians, officials creating hurdles for BMIC project: Promoter

Bangalore, Nov 18 (UNI) Politicians and bureaucrats continued to put road blocks in the execution of the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor project, its developer Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise Managing Director Ashok Kheny said today.

Speaking at a meet-the-press programme organised by the Bangalore Press Club here, he said ''the problem we are facing is due to politicians and officials who have bought land in benami names that comes under the project. Now they are creating all sorts of problems for the projects despite the strictures passed by the courts. We have so far won 336 cases in various courts. The Supreme Court has in its judgement asked the Government to honour the original framework agreement. We are ready to fight till the end against these corrupt people,'' he said.

If the Government allotted the remaining land in time, the mega project would be completed by 2010, he added.

The private promoter, which signed the MoU with the Karnataka Government wayback in 1996, was facing severe hurdles after the present JD(S)-BJP coalition Government took over. Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy argued that the promoter should be allowed to build only the road part of the project, alleging that they had taken up the project to do only 'real estate business' by selling property in the townships for huge profits after getting land from the Government and the farmers at cheap rates.

Refuting the charges, Mr Kheny said the project was being implemented with future generations of people in mind. The project was to give people a modern infrastructure and facilities at reasonable cost.

He said that as per the original framework agreement, the project needed 20,193 acres, of which the Government had handed over just 6,900 acres. The cost had already escalated to Rs 3,000 crore from the initially projected Rs 2,000 crore. With a part of the 49 km peripheral road complete, the promoters had spent Rs 1,000 crore.

However, the progress of the project had been severely hit due to reluctance on the part of the Government to sanction additional land as per the MoU, he alleged.

Refuting the claims of the State Pollution Control Board regarding violation of norms, he said the project was environment- friendly and it had been cleared by a team appointed by the board itself earlier.

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