Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha condemns Deputy CM D K Shivakumar’s support to NICE project

Bengaluru: Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha (KPRS) on Wednesday condemned deputy chief minister D K Shivakumar’s support for the NICE project. Earlier, the Supreme Court and the House Committee had raised more than ten irregularities, including deviation from the original framework of project's agreement.

KPRS pointed out that NICE operators had acquired excess land, involved in real estate development and misguided farmers in the name of 'building roads'.

The forum issued the statement a day after Deputy CM D K Shivakumar said he favoured the revival of Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE) project between Mysuru and Bengaluru, stating the newly inaugurated expressway is badly designed.

“The open support to the NICE project is a betrayal of farmers' interest. After the construction of a ten-lane national highway between Bengaluru and Mysuru, the NICE project has become irrelevant,” the forum said in a press release. They demanded chief minister Siddaramaiah to drop DK Shivakumar from the Cabinet. “He is not fit to be in the cabinet as he is openly, backing the scandalous project.”

The members of the forum also questioned the rationale behind keeping active the preliminary notification issued for the NICE project for the last thirty years. “Farmers are suffering immense distress and suffering due to land acquisition by Nice Company. They lost lakhs of rupees by approaching court offices for protection against unjust land grabbing.”