BANGALORE: N. Thippanna (Janata Dal-S) demanded in the Legislative Council on Wednesday an investigation of how Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises Ltd., which is implementing the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project, raised Rs. 152 crore in loans from major banks on the basis of a "comfort letter" issued by the Government. During the discussion on the project, he said many aspects of the project were disturbing, and the Government appeared to be unaware of the consequences of doing business with NICE without demanding accountability. NICE's audited accounts showed miscellaneous expenses Rs. 41 crore, and no one was questioning it, he observed.

The comfort letter was not discussed by the Cabinet of the day, and meetings between government's representatives and the company seemed to have been held away from the Vidhana Soudha, Mr. Thippanna said. The then government's attitude seemed to have been that information could be provided to the legislature and the people after the project was cleared "expeditiously", he added.

He said NICE seemed to have been given a carte blanche, and someone had to provide an explanation. It was the responsibility of members of both Houses to set aside party affiliations and seek the truth, he added. As for the extent of land acquired, which increased from from 20,193 acres to 29,000 acres, and the confusion over the extent of land handed over to NICE, "we need to question the role of several officers and politicians", Mr. Thippanna said.

A former Chief Secretary, a former Secretary of the Public Works Department and other officials who retired from government service after working closely on the project, joined NICE immediately after their retirement, raising questions about their role in the issue, Mr. Thippanna said.

Abdul Azeem (Janata Dal-Secular) said it was intriguing that the Government had not enquired about the background of NICE Managing Director Ashok Kheny and others connected with the company, and ascertained whether they were capable of serving the interests of the public.

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