Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy has raised questions over how land acquired for the NICE road project near Bengaluru’s Hosakerehalli came to be associated with a Sobha Developers apartment project, alleging that the transaction and subsequent residential development require explanation from Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.
Kumaraswamy made the remarks on Saturday after receiving representations from farmers who had lost land for the NICE infrastructure project. According to a report by Prajavani, he questioned the ownership and connections surrounding the Sobha apartment project near the NICE toll gate and referred to the family of Shivakumar and his brother, former MP D.K. Suresh.
“Who owns the Sobha apartment near the NICE toll gate? What is the relationship between that apartment and the family of Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and his brother D.K. Suresh?” Kumaraswamy was quoted as saying. The report did not include a response from Shivakumar, Suresh, Sobha Developers or the NICE company to the allegations.
Kumaraswamy also questioned how land notified for an infrastructure project could be purchased by another private company and under what law such a transaction would have been permitted. He sought clarification on how permissions, including a no-objection certificate for the sale of the land and its residential development, were obtained.
He further alleged that NICE had not issued no-objection certificates to the original landowners or to Siddaganga Mutt, while allegedly issuing one to Sobha Developers. These claims were made during his interaction with farmers and were reported by Prajavani; the material supplied does not include the relevant land records, acquisition notifications, approvals or responses from the agencies and parties named.
Kumaraswamy claimed that an apartment project valued at ₹2,000 crore had been constructed on land taken from farmers and alleged that the land had generated profits of the same magnitude. The report did not provide an independent valuation, project documents or details of the calculation behind the figure.
The dispute places attention on the institutional process governing land acquired or notified for major infrastructure projects. Any determination about the legality of the transfer, the validity of permissions or the ownership links alleged by Kumaraswamy would require examination of acquisition records, title documents, development approvals and no-objection certificates.
Kumaraswamy made the remarks while continuing his criticism of the state government and Shivakumar. The next steps, including any official response, release of documents or administrative inquiry into the land transactions, were not stated in the report.
