Karnataka agrees to release land to BMIC

Seeking to end the controversy surrounding the Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project, the Karnataka government on Thursday reportedly agreed to release land to the project's promoters, Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises Limited (NICEL), so that work could commence.

In the last 11 years, the government has released around 6,500 acres land to NICEL.

"The state government has agreed to release the entire 20,193 acres of land required for the project. But I do not know whether it includes the so called excess land. However, we are committed to starting work on the Mysore section of the expressway from the first week of July," NICEL managing director Ashok Kheny told reporters after attending a meeting of the the empowered committee of the government for the BMIC, here.

The meeting was attended by senior state government officials, including chief secretary B K Das. Kheny pointed out that he was yet to be given permission to take up work on the proposed satellite towns along the expressway.

"This point has not been made clear to me. I can take a decision only after receiving the land allotment letter from the government," he added.

The Rs 2,250 crore project had split the coalition government when the Janata Dal (S) led by chief minister H D Kumaraswamy proposed to take it over through a legislation. Its partner BJP had opposed the takeover and suggested recovering only the 'excess land' released to the promoters.

NICEL, which strongly opposed the takeover, had urged the government to convene the empowered committee meeting. Almost a fortnight after the 9.8 kilometre stretch of the Peripheral Ring Road (part of the BMIC project) was officially opened, the empowered committee met on Thursday.

This came in the wake of a threat from the BMIC promoters to take the legal route if the government failed to release land as per the apex court's verdict.