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The Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor

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25 Oct 2007 - BMIC Officials and MD resort to Violence and Intimidation

On 25 October 2007, ESG Team members and several international students and faculty were assaulted by a large group of men while traveling on the Peripheral Road of Bangalore from Kanakapura to Mysore Road. This dastardly attack was led by Mr. Ashok Kheny, Managing Director of M/s Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise Ltd., his PRO Mr. Manjunath, and several scores of his security men. Enclosed are pictures of this assault. Read the FIR filed with the police. (zip file: 997 KB)

09 June 2005 - Illegal demolitions by BMTF Official to aid NICE

In a most shocking development, Shri. V. Thimappa, Suptd. Of Police, Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force (BMTF), assisted by about 150 policemen engaging three JCBs and four Poclain machines, and without any backing of an executive and judicial order, began demolishing private properties in the Pilaganahalli village, near Gottigere, off Banneghatta Road. He was ostensibly engaged in this operation to aid M/s Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE) and their controversial Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor Project (BMIC) involving the construction of an expressway and five townships between Bangalore and Mysore. Read the Press Release.

10,000 acres Excess Acquisition! The Unimaginable Land Scam that BMIC Project is Today

March, 2005 - An Expressway and Five Townships were proposed to decongest Bangalore and enable proper development of the region in 1995. All that was needed per the original technical report was 18,000 acres (appox.) of land. A decade later, there is no Expressway or the promised townships. Previously 'confidential' documents now prove that Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE), in collusion with key senior officials of Karnataka, have grossly abused land acquisition powers to notify 29,258 acres of land, an excess of over 10,000 acres! Thousands of small and marginal farmers who have been displaced have been provided only a pittance in compensation, but NICE now gets to sell these lands at a whopping profit at current market rates. Read the press release about this unprecedented land scam.

CM for review of BMIC

Chief Minister N Dharam Singh on Tuesday (17 August, 2004) said Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor project will be reviewed and added that action will be initiated against the project promoters, Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE) in case of any violations. Singh also told reporters that as a first step the state government had asked the Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises (NICE) not to take up township projects, until the government spelt out its view on the entire project. See articles for more details.

BMIC Project illegal per new Environmental Notification

Regardless of what the present imbroglio over the Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor Project results in, one thing is certain: the project will now have to undergo a comprehensive and fresh review of its environmental and social impacts following a recent amendment to the Environment Impact Assessment Notification of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF). Further, Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE) is likely to lose the controversial environmental clearance granted for the expressway component by MoEF in August 2001, as it has both changed the nature of the project from what was originally proposed (which is not allowed at all), and has not complied conditions imposed. See press releases for more details.

Krishna wants BMIC project scrapped

In a letter to Chief Minister, Mr. Dharam Singh, the former Chief Minister, Mr S. M. Krishna said that to put an end to the controversy, save thousands of acres of farmland and the environment, and in the light of the four-laning of the existing Bangalore-Mysore highway, it would be appropriate to wind up the BMIC project. See articles for more details.

Chief Minister SM Krishna's reply to an appeal (to shelve the BMIC Project) by a campaign supporter, Ms. Nagini Prasad, Dec 23, 2003

Ms. Nagini Prasad wrote to Chief Minister SM Krishna voicing her concerns on aping western models (BMIC is based on the Columbia-Maryland model) of transport in India and how one has to consider viable alternatives in the local scenario. Read the email exchange between Nagini and the CM.

Former PM accuses CM of corruption in BMIC project, Dec 21, 2003

In an important development, former Prime Minister Shri. H. D. Devegowda , in a press conference accused the Karnataka Chief Minister Shri. S. M. Krishna, and Chief Secretary, Shri. B. S. Patil, of being deeply involved in corrupt practices in promoting the Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor Project. See the Press page for more details.

High court's take on BMIC, Dec 18, 2003

The Karnataka High Court quashed land aquisition for acquiring lands for the construction of townships and convention centres for the BMIC Project. ESG has welcomed the order considering that the townships were crucial to cross-subsidise the expressway,(for the latter is not financially viable on its own and the townships are viewed as a captive source of expressway tolls, for they will mainly be accessible via the expressway), the project now has no standing at all. Press release.

Read letters of endorsements to the appeal and their views expressed in letters to the CM.

CM Inaugurates 4-laning work of existing SH 17 at Maddur; ESG urges CM to shelve BMIC project, Dec 17, 2003

ESG appealed to the Chief Minister of Karnataka to shelve the BMIC project when he expressed his indignation on the negligible progress on the Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor project (BMIC), while inaugurating the 4-laning works of the Maddur-Bangalore section of SH-17 (Bangalore Mysore Highway) on 15th Dec 2003. To voice your support you can mail this appeal to the CM at [email protected]

• In August 2002, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) filed a case against ICICI, the lead financier of the consortium financing BMIC. This was in response to an inquiry by ESG as to the compliance of financiers of BMIC to a binding RBI directive on "Financing of Infrastructure Projects" dated February 2002. The outcome of this case is awaited.
• Meanwhile the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) claims it is investigating the inquiry by ESG into compliance by NICE with several conditions in the MoEF conditional environmental clearance issued in August 2001.
• The Government of Karnataka (GoK) is expected to take a major cabinet decision on BMIC in the near future. ESG is requesting all concerned citizens to take action by alerting the Chief Minister of Karnataka to the unresolved issues surrounding BMIC prior to the cabinet decision.