Kumaraswamy meets NICE project land losers, promises to fight together

Bengaluru: Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy on Friday was meeting people who had lost their land for the Bengaluru-Mysuru Infrastructure Corridor (NICE) project.

Earlier, in a statement, Kumaraswamy said he would personally meet the affected people throughout the day, beginning from Madavara Junction and concluding his visit at Ganasandra. “I am setting out to receive the grievances of people who have suffered after losing their land for the Bengaluru-Mysuru Infrastructure Corridor project (NICE). From Friday morning until evening, I will personally meet my affected people,” he said.

Kumaraswamy appealed to members of the public, JD(S) workers and leaders, and particularly those who had lost their land for the project, to participate in large numbers.

“Let us fight together. We should not rest until we achieve our goal,” he said.

Kumaraswamy is travelling to four locations and meeting farmers from more than 30 villages.

It can be recalled that Kumaraswamy, on Tuesday, made allegations against Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and questioned how his assets have grown from Rs 4 crore in 2003 to Rs 1,413 crore in 2023.

Kumaraswamy alleged that the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC), popularly known as the NICE project, was a scam worth more than Rs 3 lakh crore.

The NICE project is an infrastructure initiative aimed at improving road connectivity between Bengaluru and Mysuru through a tolled expressway and associated townships.

Challenging the state government to take action against the alleged irregularities, Kumaraswamy said CM Shivakumar should resign if the government lacked the courage to act.

Kumaraswamy alleged that Shivakumar and his brother, former Congress MP D.K. Suresh, had "misused" the legislative and executive machinery in a joint operation that adversely affected farmers and facilitated large-scale irregularities in the BMIC project.

Addressing the alleged irregularities in the NICE project, Kumaraswamy claimed that the case was bigger than the 2G spectrum scam and promised to release further documents in subsequent parts of his alleged expose.

However, the allegations and the documents cited by Kumaraswamy would require examination by the relevant authorities to establish the facts.

The BMIC project was initiated in 1995 during the tenure of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda (Kumaraswamy's father). However, Kumaraswamy alleged that the project's original objectives were subsequently altered, turning it into a major land-related controversy that hurt farmers' interests.

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