Traffic movement along the NICE Road from Hosur Road to Tumkur Road was disrupted for more than three hours on Tuesday when the employees shut the gates in protest against the arrest of two of their associates by the Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force (BMTF) in connection with a land encroachment case filed against the Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises management.
The BMTF filed an FIR against the NICE managing director Ashok Kheny along with other members of the board of directors for allegedly encroaching government land for a residential layout.
The BMTF served a notice to the accused seeking an explanation and a team of officials went to NICE as part of the investigation and arrested two employees — Srinath Mangalore, deputy general manager (land matters) and Pavan from human resources — on charge of destruction evidence and abetment.
Protesting the arrest, hundreds of employees closed the entry and exit gates of the 41-km stretch. NICE manager Hanumanth Raju said the arrest of their colleagues was uncalled for when the complaint was against the managing director and the Board of Directors.
NICE had plans to construct a layout and had applied to Karnataka Town and Country Planning Authority for approval in 2011. As per Section 15 of the Act, the approval is considered granted if the authority does not respond to the application within 90 days of the submission.
The company started work on the layout and a local resident complained to the BMTF.
The force does not have jurisdiction over this issue, Mr. Raju alleged, adding that the employees’ association plans to sue BMTF.
