Alleging that the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) ‘land scam’ in Karnataka matched that of the 2G Spectrum in magnitude, former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda on Saturday urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to order a CBI investigation into it.
“The BMIC land scam runs to the tune of about Rs 50,000 crore and the BJP government has indulged in irregularities like de-notification of lands and violating Frame Work Agreement (FWA),” Mr. Gowda, who has been opposing the project told a press conference here.
“Let there be a CBI probe into the project, including during my tenure as Chief Minister”, Mr. Gowda, who signed the MoU for the express highway project in 1994, said.
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He alleged that some agents of Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE), promoters of the project have been forcibly evicting farmers and taking over land which was not part of the project and also FWA. Such action amounts to committing contempt of court of the Supreme Court order.
Mr. Gowda said he had sent a book on land scams of Karnataka involving the Yeddyurappa government to BJP leader L.K. Advani, “who has been waging a battle against corruption and black money,” but regretted he had so far not said anything about it.
He alleged that about 139 acres of notified land in Kengeri Hobli has been de-notified and some persons have purchased it.
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He pointed out that an advocate representing Jnanpith award winner U.R. Ananthamurthy, one of the petitioners in the Apex Court against the project, had drawn the government’s attention to the irregular land de-notification and sale.
Mr. Gowda, who was also one of the petitioners, said he would file another one, seeking intervention of the Apex Court on ‘irregularities’ being committed on acquisition and de-notification of land.