Farmers pitch tent on BMIC road, begin indefinite agitation

After digging a trench across the newly laid Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) road, farmers from a village on the outskirts of Bangalore pitched a tent right in the middle of the highway and began an indefinite agitation seeking early payment of compensation for the lands acquired from them and construction of a link road to the access-controlled expressway.

The farmers shouted slogans against the project promoters – Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Limited (NICE) – and threatened to disrupt the scheduled inauguration of the first phase of the BMIC highway on June 16.

NICE Managing Director Ashok K Kheny, who is involved in a long-standing feud with former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda over the issue of acquisition of “excess land” for the project, was quick to attribute the ugly vandalism to the handiwork of JD (S) supporters.

Though he estimated the damage caused to the NICE on account of the digging up of the peripheral road to be around Rs 4 million, Kheny vowed to go ahead with the inauguration of the first phase of the project as scheduled on June 16. “It will cost us Rs 4 million to rebuild the road. The expressway has eight-inch thick asphalt and superior quality materials were used to make it”, he said.

Accusing the JD (S) of trying to scuttle the project by unleashing vandalism, Kheny said he had sought police protection during the implementation of the project, which has been cleared by the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, the state unit of BJP, the coalition partner of ruling JD (S), has criticized the “unwarranted destruction” of a portion of the BMIC road.

President of Karnataka unit of BJP D V Sadananda Gowda said the party will be convening a meeting shortly to discuss the controversy surrounding the BMIC project. Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa also came down heavily on the villagers for taking law into their own hands.