NICE Ltd road. Representative image.
Credit: DH File Photo
Bengaluru: A 13-km expressway linking Bidadi and Hemmigepura in Bengaluru — which was a part of the 1995 framework agreement signed between the government and the Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE) — is back on the table for discussion.
The proposal, a win-win both for the government and NICE Ltd, may, however, take shape only if two other contentious issues are resolved. One, releasing 13,418 acres of land – notified for the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) — back to the farmers. Second and more importantly, taking back around 2,351 acres of "excess" land that was acquired for the NICE project but was not part of the original agreement.
A 41-km peripheral road, nine-km link road and 13-km expressway up to Bidadi are part of Section A of the BMIC project, which was split into three sections. While the NICE Ltd has so far completed the peripheral and a large portion of the link road, the expressway has not made much progress. Extending the expressway up to Mysuru and building four townships – which have not taken off – fall under the remaining two sections of the project.
In a letter in June this year, NICE Ltd proposed the merger of NICE expressway in Hemmigepura with National Highway (NH) 275 near Bidadi. The company stands to benefit as it will be a toll road. The alternative access is also expected to help motorists heading towards the south and eastern part of Bengaluru from Mysuru as the new 10-lane expressway is often congested when the traffic nears the IT city.
While the state Cabinet is expected to take a final decision on merging the NICE and NHAI expressways along with two other contentious subjects, the Urban Development Department (UDD) has reportedly shared its opinion in favour of extending the NICE road. The UDD, in its note, has stated that the two expressways could be merged as it will contribute to the development of villages which are going to be part of the Greater Bengaluru planning authority.
Long ago, the Karnataka Industries Areas Development Board (KIADB) had handed over 4,341 acres of both government and private land to the NICE Ltd for building the peripheral road, link road, 13-km expressway and other projects. Of this, the Karnataka State Remote Sensing Applications Centre had found that around 3,371 acres continues to remain unutilised.
When DH contacted Ashok Kheny, managing director of NICE Ltd, he did not wish to comment.