K’taka: Kumaraswamy urges public to stop paying NICE road toll

Bengaluru, Aug 8 (SocialNews.XYZ) Union Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) [JD(S)] leader H.D. Kumaraswamy on Saturday urged motorists not to pay toll on the NICE Road, alleging that the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project, also known as the NICE project, was plagued by serious irregularities and that toll was being collected illegally.

Addressing a press conference at the JD(S) headquarters, J.P. Bhavan in Bengaluru, Kumaraswamy demanded that the Karnataka government immediately take over the entire NICE project and stop toll collection. Citing observations made by the Karnataka High Court in its recent judgment on the project, he said the State government could no longer remain silent.

Kumaraswamy gave the government two weeks to stop toll collection on the NICE Road and warned that the JD(S) would launch an intense agitation if it failed to act.

“The High Court has made serious observations about the irregularities in the NICE project. The government should immediately intervene and stop the company from collecting toll. If the government does not act, we will launch a struggle,” he said.

He was referring to the July 29 judgment of a Division Bench of the Karnataka High Court concerning alleged irregularities in the BMIC project.

According to Kumaraswamy, the court had observed that the project appeared to be “one of the biggest scams in the State”. It indicated that allegations of fraud and other offences warranted an independent investigation by a specialised expert team and a forensic audit of the project’s accounts.

He said the observations made by the court should be sufficient reason for the government to take control of the project.

Kumaraswamy alleged that NICE had violated several provisions of the framework agreement under which the BMIC project was implemented.

“There was a condition that the project should be implemented according to the framework agreement. But NICE has not followed the rules and regulations. The court has described the project as one of the major scams in Karnataka’s history. What more reason does the government need to take it over?” he asked.

He alleged that more than 20,000 acres of land had been accumulated as a land bank in the name of the NICE project, resulting in hardship for thousands of farmers.

According to him, many farmers had lost their land nearly two decades ago but had not received compensation in some cases. He alleged that land acquired for the project was subsequently being dealt with or sold to private parties.

He also claimed that NICE had revised toll rates several times without obtaining prior approval from the State government. Kumaraswamy said the government itself had informed the court that toll rates had been revised without prior approval.

He also questioned the issuance of a No Objection Certificate (NOC) by NICE to a developer for construction near the NICE Junction at Hosakerehalli in Bengaluru.

He alleged that farmers had first been evicted from the area and that the developer subsequently approached NICE seeking permission to construct a building.

“Whose land is it? Is it NICE’s private property that it can issue an NOC? How was an NOC issued for that land?” Kumaraswamy asked.

He demanded that the government explain the ownership and use of the land and clarify who had benefited from the transactions.

Kumaraswamy appealed to motorists to stop paying toll on the NICE Road from Saturday.

“I appeal to the people not to pay toll under any circumstances. Stop this exploitation. The people should raise their voice against the project. I call upon youngsters and farmers to join the movement,” he said.

He criticised the State government for allegedly failing to act despite the High Court’s observations.

“Is the government sleeping, or is it deliberately pretending not to see what is happening?” Kumaraswamy asked.

He said he would write to the government demanding immediate action and would wait for a response before deciding on the next course of action. He reiterated that the government had two weeks to stop toll collection.

Kumaraswamy also referred to the recommendations of a House committee headed by senior Congress MLA T.B. Jayachandra. He said the committee had recommended that the government take over the NICE project and that the alleged irregularities be investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The committee had also recommended recovering the land under NICE’s control and returning it to the farmers, Kumaraswamy claimed.

He alleged that around 550 acres of additional land had been provided to NICE, while the company had allegedly claimed that it had not received the land.

Kumaraswamy further alleged that farmers had surrendered their land for the project almost 20 years ago and claimed that the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) had not paid compensation to some affected farmers.

He recalled that he had raised the NICE issue in the Legislative Assembly when he was Chief Minister in 2006.

“I had raised this issue in the Assembly in 2006. The Cabinet had decided that the project should be cancelled. However, I could not implement the decision because I did not receive the necessary support,” he said.

He also criticised Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda over the alleged irregularities in the NICE project, questioning why the government was acting against street vendors while allegedly failing to address what he described as large‑scale land irregularities linked to NICE.

Kumaraswamy said the government should act on the High Court’s observations and take steps to protect farmers and motorists.

Source: IANS