UNI

Bangalore, Jun 30: The Karnataka Government has assured the Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE), the promoters of the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor project, of releasing the required quantum of lands for the execution of the multi-crore project, NICE managing director Ashok Kheny informed on Thursday.

Talking to newspersons after his hour-long meeting with state chief secretary B K Das here, he said the Government had given the assurance for the early completion of the project.

To a question, Kheny said the work on BMIC from the Mysore end would start on July five and there was no hitch in its execution.

The meeting between Kheny and the chief secretary assumed significance following dropping of the former from the BMIC Area Development Authority, in which he was representing NICE since its formation in 1999, after its restructuring by the government on June 24.

The assurance marked a virtual u-turn from chief minister H D Kumaraswamy's earlier stand to take over the project from NICE and implement it by the Government.

Kumaraswamy could not stick to his stand, with the coalition partner BJP putting its feet down against taking over the project through a legislation.

The BJP was firm that only the alleged excess land acquired by NICE for executing the project should be reclaimed and given back to its original owners - farmers.