New Delhi, September 17
The JD(S)-BJP coalition in Karnataka, led by Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, allegedly under pressure form his father and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda on the issue of acquiring excess land from farmers for the Bangalore-Mysore infrastructure corridor project, has justified the judicial probe into the matter in its reply to the Supreme Court.
The coalition government, in its affidavit affirmed by project coordinator M. Shashidhar has accused construction company Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises (NICE) of manipulating land acquisition in excess by 2,289 acre in its favour, estimated to be worth Rs 30,000 crore.
Therefore, the government has sought the whole matter to be probed into by the Justice B.C. Patel Commission.
The reply was filed by the state government in connection with a notice of the Supreme Court on a fresh petition by the NICE, alleging that despite the apex court and the Karnataka High court giving the green light to the project, the state government was trying to obstruct the execution.
Mr H.D. Deve Gowda had opened up a front on the issue by accusing the Congress government headed by S.M. Krishna and the coalition earlier led by Dharam Singh of succumbing to the pressure of big business houses and ignoring the interests of small farmers whose land was acquired.
Stating that the government was not against the project and wanted its early completion, the administration alleged that the NICE in the first phase of the project relating to highway construction itself would be having 3,633 acres of land in excess. Apart from the highway between Bangalore and Mysore, the integrated project envisaged building of modern townships alongside.
In the 15-point reference on the complex land acquisition process, the Patel commission would go into how the land requirement from private sources was finally estimated to be 23,846 acre whereas it was put only at 13,237 acre when the agreement was signed with the NICE on October 14, 1998.
It would also inquire how the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board agreed to give 21,000 acres of private land to the NICE.
The panel would also look into the NICE’s raising a demand for additional 7,186 acres of the government land. The total land from both sources put together was finally quantified as 31,032 acre and how the government land was leased at a “ridiculously” law rate of Rs 10 per acre per annum for 40 years.
The agreement of October 14, 1998, required that 7,000 acres of land meant for the “toll road” would revert back to the government after construction but certain last-minute notings in the files at the highest level on the deal provided that only 11,966 acre of land — from both private and government sources —would revert back to government instead of 14,255 acres, thereby allowing the NICE to retain 2,289 acres of land in excess, the affidavit said.
All these questions needed a thorough probe and therefore, setting up of the a judicial commission was thought necessary by the state government, the affidavit affirmed.
