Karnataka government forms panel to review Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway
This cabinet sub-committee will consult with legal experts and subject matter experts and submit its report within two months on the action to be taken legally
Three decades after the construction of an expressway to connect Bengaluru and Mysuru started, the state government on Saturday constituted a seven-member cabinet sub-committee headed by home minister G Parameshwara to review the work done so far and suggest further action.
The other members of the committee are ministers — HK Patil, K H Muniyappa, MB Patil, HC Mahadevappa, Satish Jarkiholi, and Krishna Byre Gowda.
“This cabinet sub-committee shall consult with legal experts and subject matter experts and submit its report within two months on the action to be taken legally,” an official note said, adding that the Public Works Department shall provide necessary assistance to the committee.
The state cabinet in its meeting held on April 11 decided to take over the project as no work was happening. Work has been stalled for years and only a 4 km stretch of the expressway, 41 km of the peripheral road, and 8.5 km of the link road were completed as of March 2019. The delay has been attributed to land acquisition and payment of compensation to the farmers. A total of 374 court cases related to BMIC land disputes are pending.
In 1995, the undivided Janata Dal government had approved the construction of an expressway to connect Mysuru and Bengaluru, along with the development of a peripheral link road and satellite townships. The entire project was called the Bengaluru-Mysure Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project. An MoU was signed with a consortium headed by Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises (NICE) Limited.
According to the Framework Agreement (FWA) signed between NICE and the state government on April 3, 1997, a total of 20,193 acres of land was to be given to NICE, of which 6,999 acres was earmarked for a toll road and 13,194 acres for townships. Of the 20,193 acres, 6,956 acres were government land and 13,237 acres were private land.
NICE) has been accused of violating the framework agreement with the government while implementing the project, officials said.
With inputs from PTI
