Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy has announced a village-by-village tour along Bengaluru’s Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises (NICE) Road from October 2 to meet families affected by land acquisition for the project, intensifying pressure on the Karnataka government over toll collection and the project’s implementation.
Mr. Kumaraswamy made the announcement on Sunday after meeting farmers who lost land for the NICE project and receiving their representations. He said he would visit all villages along the stretch from Madavara to Electronics City and speak directly to affected families.
The Union Minister said he would oppose the project and decide his next course of action after completing the visits if the State government’s position remained unchanged. The announcement places the long-running dispute over the corridor at both a political and ground level, with affected landowners expected to present their grievances during the proposed tour.
Addressing the media after the interaction, Mr. Kumaraswamy said the court had observed that toll was being collected illegally on NICE Road. He alleged that the State government was offering explanations instead of addressing the issue. These claims were made by the Minister during his interaction with the affected farmers and media.
“ My self and H.D. Deve Gowda have both written to the Chief Minister about NICE toll collection, but we haven’t received any response,” Mr. Kumaraswamy said, according to the report.
He also alleged that the government was protecting NICE Road promoter Ashok Kheny despite what he described as strong observations by the High Court on the project. The Minister questioned the government’s continued support for the promoter. The report did not include a response from the Karnataka government or Mr. Kheny to these allegations.
The NICE Road corridor is a major east-west and north-south connectivity project around Bengaluru, linking areas including Madavara and Electronics City. Its land acquisition, project framework and tolling arrangements have been subjects of dispute among affected landowners, public authorities and the project promoter.
Mr. Kumaraswamy said he would also prepare a detailed presentation on the project’s history. The presentation, he said, would examine what had happened over the years and identify who made changes to the initial framework agreement and what modifications were introduced.
The proposed visits could bring renewed attention to the administrative and contractual decisions that shaped the corridor, as well as to the unresolved concerns of families whose land was acquired. The next stated step is Mr. Kumaraswamy’s visit to villages along the NICE stretch beginning October 2.
