The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Notice to State, BMIC promoters on PIL over alignment of PRR

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Sunday, Jan 11, 2009
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Karnataka - Bangalore

Notice to State, BMIC promoters on PIL over alignment of PRR

Staff Reporter

PRR is contrary to the alignment as per PTR and FWA: petitioner

BANGALORE: “The 41-km peripheral ring road (PRR) constructed as part of the controversial Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor Project (BMICP) is contrary to the alignment that was approved by the State Government and upheld by the courts.”

This is a fresh allegation that was brought before the Karnataka High Court on Friday in the form of a public interest litigation (PIL) by V. Nagaraj, coordinator of the Dalit Sangharsha Samiti.

The petitioner claimed that the PRR built by project promoters Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises (NICE) and its sister concern Nandi Economic Corridor Enterprises (NECE) was contrary to the alignment as per the Project Technical Report (PTR) and the Frame Work Agreement (FWA), which were approved by the Government and upheld by the courts.

Instead, the petitioner alleged that NICE had illegally usurped the alignment of the toll-free PRR approved by the State Government in the Comprehensive Development Plan 1995 (CDP) prepared by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA). The petition said that environment clearance given by the Union Ministry of Forest, Ecology and Environment was for the alignment mentioned in the FWA and not the one that was being constructed by NICE.

As per the approved alignment, the petition said the PRR should have started from the 17th km point (near Infosys) on Hosur Road and should have ended at the 15th km point on Tumkur Road while passing through Bettadasanapura, Nagegoudapalya, Kommaghatta, Manganahalli and Tippanahalli villages. The start and end points of the PRR being built by NICE was located two km beyond the approved alignment.

The petitioner also pointed out that illegal deviation of the alignment had breached 16 tanks, which were not found in the original alignment. Illegal change in road alignment had resulted in acquisition of land that were not required for BMICP, and hence, it attracted opposition from farmers and land owners.

The petitioner also challenged the collection of toll for the PRR. He claimed that the collection was illegal as PRR was not built as per the technical requirements and not constructed as per the approved alignment.

Appearing on behalf of the petitioner, senior counsel Nalini Chidambaram made a series of pleas, including to quash the permission given by the State Government to NICE for toll collection, to declare as illegal the PRR alignment, to identify exact extent of land required for the approved PRR alignment, among others, before a Division Bench.

The Division Bench comprising Chief Justice P.D. Dinakaran and Justice V.G. Sabhahit, which heard the petition, ordered issue of notices to the State Government and the project promoters while adjourning further hearing to Monday.

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