The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : In the corridor of uncertainty

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Aug 01, 2007
ePaper

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

In the corridor of uncertainty

Staff Reporter

Opposition seeks statement from Government on BMIC project

Statement sought on move to change promoters
There is no need for one, says Government

Bangalore: The act of filing an affidavit in the Supreme Court to protect the State’s interests is a routine matter and there is no need for the Government to make a statement each time it did so, Leader of the House D.H. Shankaramurthy said in the Legislative Council on Monday.

He was responding to a special mention made by the Leader of the Opposition H.K. Patil on the Government’s reported move to file an affidavit in the Supreme Court seeking its permission to replace Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises Ltd., promoters of the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor project, with another consortium.

Demanding a statement from the Government, Mr. Patil and V.R. Sudarshan sought to know whether the decision to replace the promoters was taken by the Cabinet or by the Secretary to the Department of Public Works. What prompted the Government to take such a decision when the legislature was in session, they asked.

Mr. Shankaramurthy said the Government would not hesitate to hold a discussion on the matter on the floor of the House. The Government had not set a tradition of informing the House about the routine process of submitting affidavits to courts regarding developmental activities. “Informing the House about a decision to file an affidavit in the Supreme Court is like informing it about a decision to file an affidavit in court for permission to change the contractor in charge of the construction of a bridge or a culvert,” he argued.

Contesting Mr. Shankaramurthy’s line of argument, Mr. Patil and Mr. Sudarshan said they would welcome the Government’s decision if it would reduce the project size by about 3,000 acres and the new promoters provided a monorail at their cost as reported in some sections of the media. But what was happening with regard to the BMIC project was not a routine affair. The Government had taken the decision in violation of the transparency Act. The Government had a moral obligation to place all details before the House, they said.

‘Seek discussion’

Even as the argument was going on, Deputy Chairman Sachidanand L. Khot asked the Opposition to seek a discussion on the subject and not to press for a suo motu statement from the Government.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka