The State government is unable to restrain Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises (NICE), promoter of the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor Project (BMICP), from increasing the toll owing to stay orders by the High Court.
Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T.B. Jayachandra told mediapersons on Thursday that the government had issued notices to NICE when it had increased toll rates on the BMIC. There are 40 cases related to NICE in the High Court and the Supreme Court. Owing to pending cases and stay orders from courts, the government is not able to restrain NICE on the issue of toll rates, he said.
A House Committee report of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly headed by Jayachandra has indicted NICE for violation of the Framework Agreement (FWA), excess land acquisition, levying toll without laying concrete road and illegal extraction of mines, among other issues. It recommended a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities by NICE.
The House Committee also recommended withdrawal of 11,660 acres of both private (7,532 acres) and government land (3,528 acres) earmarked for the project, stoppage of toll collection on NICE road and recovery of royalty of ₹242.45 crore for illegal mining activities on 242 acres acquired for BMICP.
For vacating stay orders, the Minister met the Advocate General. The government has appointed advocate Sunil Yadav to argue its case in the High Court and for vacating stay orders, Mr. Jayachandra said.
Mr Jayachandra, who is also a member of the cabinet sub-committee on drought, said a memorandum would be submitted to the Centre seeking compensation for crop loss owing to floods in September and October.
