The Hindu : National : Annul accord with NICE, Gowda urges Governor

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Annul accord with NICE, Gowda urges Governor

S. Rajendran

Apprise courts of facts about Mysore expressway project

Deve Gowda

Bangalore: The former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) national president H.D. Deve Gowda has called upon Karnataka Governor Rameshwar Thakur to immediately annul the agreement with the Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises (NICE), which, he says, is “dodging” the execution of the Bangalore-Mysore expressway project as per Supreme Court directions.

Mr. Gowda told The Hindu here that the government should apprise courts of all facts. The memorandum of understanding for the project was signed about 13 years ago.

He said the Karnataka government had written to NICE on four occasions in recent times (when the H.D. Kumaraswamy government was in power), asking it to execute and complete the long-pending project. However, the company “is keen only to obtain nearly 2,400 acres of prime land, adjoining the proposed expressway on the outskirts of Bangalore, worth around Rs. 30,000 crore. Since the company has not evinced interest in the completion of the project, it would be in the fitness of things for the government to cancel the agreement.”

Letters to Governor

Mr. Gowda has also written four letters to the Governor in recent weeks. “The Governor, however, is yet to acknowledge the receipt of my letters, leave alone convey to me the action taken. Given the nature of the interest shown by the company in executing the project, the agreement should be cancelled forthwith since any dispute will mean arbitration in London as per the conditions laid down in the agreement. The company can complete phase one of the three-phase project and thereafter drag the government to London.”

Mr. Gowda said an additional affidavit before the Supreme Court would enable the government to get the stay vacated and proceed with the completion of the expressway. After the Kumaraswamy government invited global tenders, NICE challenged the matter and obtained a stay.

“Now that the present dispensation itself has filed an affidavit in the [Karnataka] High Court and stated that NICE is not really interested in completing the project as per the Supreme Court directions, the same exercise should be repeated in the Supreme Court.”

In the affidavit filed (in reply to a contempt petition) here on February 4, the Karnataka government highlighted NICE’s reluctance to complete the project despite its extending all support to the company.

The Kumaraswamy government, in accordance with the directions of the High Court and the Supreme Court, had sought to restrict the execution of the project conforming to the original framework.

Cabinet decision

At a Cabinet meeting in August, it decided to restrict to 20,193 acres the extent of land to be made over for the project. Thereafter, the then government also sought to invite global tenders (under the Swiss challenge method of the new industrial policy of the State).

Consortium proposal

Meanwhile, Global Infrastructure Consortium put forth a proposal to complete the project at a much lower cost and sought less land which could save the State land worth Rs. 30,000 crore. It also offered to construct free of cost a mono rail along the expressway.

The Supreme Court, which is hearing several petitions on the expressway, has also been informed of the proposal submitted by the consortium.

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