Belagavi, Dec 3: The Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project was the first-ever Public-Private Partnership project in Karnataka but has been mired in controversy ever since it was conceived.
The project envisages constructing 111 km of expressway between Bengaluru and Mysuru, a 41-km peripheral road, a 9.8-km link road (both around Bengaluru) and five townships under Build-Own-Operate-Transfer basis.
An Assembly committee headed Law Minister T?B?Jayachandra constituted to probe irregularities in the implementation of the project has come out with several recommendation and observations. The panel has 11 members from both the ruling and the Opposition parties.
The report says that several government files pertaining to the BMIC project have gone missing and this has also led to irregularities in the implementation of the project.
As many as 137 files, which have to be preserved permanently going by the importance of the content, have gone missing. The files pertaining to the stamps and registration, the minutes of chief ministers' meetings, petitions filed in the Supreme Court, illegal mining, transfer of government land to the promoter among others have disappeared.
Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE), promoters of the project, used 20 lakes extending over 213 acres for construction of the road.
Action should be initiated against those officials who illegally transferred the lakes to the company, the report says.
Thecommittee
An 11-member committee headed by T?B?Jayachandra was constituted in September 2014.
The panel held a total of 27 formal and 10 informal meetings.
The committee's terms of reference were to enquire into misappropriation in implementing agreements entered on April 3, 1997, for the project and violations of agreement conditions by the promoters and court orders.
Other observations
NICE violated framework agreement and constructed asphalt road instead of concrete road.
Objective of the project was to build an expressway between Bengaluru and Mysuru with five townships. However, even after 19 ye-ars, the project has not progressed beyond Bengaluru.
Promoters in the name of secrecy clause refused to furnish documents pertaining to the project to the government.
The project cost, investment details have not been provided to the government despite comfort letter for financial closure being issued to the promoters.
According to the agreement, stamp duty exemption had been given for 5,688 acres, but it was extended to 14,337 acres.
Illegal stone quarrying has been done at the project site and government has not been paid royalty of Rs 250 crore.
Former PWD?Secretary C?R?Ramesh, who represented the government during the initial stages of the project, is now one of the directors of NICE
NICE?has given Rs 274.99 crore as compensation to farmers, but 58% have rejected the same.
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