MYSORE: Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises (NICE) Ltd., promoters of the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project, announced on Monday that work on the section from Mysore would begin next week.

Addressing presspersons here, NICE Managing Director Ashok Kheny alleged that the State Government was delaying allotment of land for the project. However, the work would start from the Mysore section next week, he said.

He claimed that after the inauguration of work on the section of the BMIC from Bangalore, many people from Mandya and Srirangapatna had requested him to commence from those sections.

He said the Government had handed over only 6,700 acres of land for the project, which required 20,193 acres.

The expressway would be completed by December 2007, he added.

Mr. Kheny said 26 government officials were responsible for the controversy over the project. He alleged that they were causing impediments to it as they owned land which would have to be taken over for construction of the expressway. Legal action would be initiated against them, he said. Mr. Kheny said Mysore city would witness a real-estate boom once the expressway was completed. NICE wanted to share revenue from the project for community development. Educating rural children was his priority, he added.

`Investors concerned'

He said investors were worried over the controversy, which would affect the development of the State. "When the agreement on the BMIC project was signed, 45 mega projects worth over Rs 1,000 crore were also signed. A decade later, the BMIC project remains the only survivor. Had projects worth Rs. 45,000 crore been implemented, the State would have received nearly $100 billion in investments," he added.

Mr. Kheny, who arrived here to inspect land acquired for the project, decided against visiting the area. "I cancelled the visit to the project site anticipating trouble, as I was informed that protests and counter protests could be staged. I do not want to commence work like this."

NICE had asked Mysore Urban Development Authority to hand over 15 acres of land to commence work.

Mr. Kheny said he had high regard for former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda. However, some persons were misleading him, he added.

Meeting

On the meeting with legislators of the Bharatiya Janata Party, he said he was invited to clarify issues. The controversy over "excess" land allotted for the project and clarification on the stands taken by the NICE and Mr. Deve Gowda were discussed.

Mr. Kheny said he had no political ambitions, and he would remain an entrepreneur.

He denied allegations of bribery against him. "If I had bribed to get things done, I could have completed the work long back. Why have I been struggling for 11 years?"

About the cheque for Rs. 5 lakh issued by the Government and returned by a bank for want of sufficient funds, he said: "I have left it to my lawyers to decide on a course of action."

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