Don't pay toll on NICE Road: HD Kumaraswamy gives Karnataka govt 10-day deadline
Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Saturday appealed to people in Bengaluru not to pay toll on the NICE Road corridor, saying the JD(S) would seek
Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Saturday appealed to people in Bengaluru not to pay toll on the NICE Road corridor, saying the JD(S) would seek to stop what he called the government "robbing people through toll". He also set a deadline of a week to 10 days to stop toll collection on the Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises (NICE) Road. Kumaraswamy said his party had been opposing the project since its inception, alleging illegalities and deception. He also cited recent observations by the Karnataka High Court on the Bengaluru-Mysuru Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project and said the state government should act immediately to take over the NICE project and halt toll collection. Read Full Story "I appeal to the people of Bengaluru to stop paying toll on NICE Road. We have decided to stop the government that is robbing people through toll. We are giving a deadline of a week or 10 days," Kumaraswamy told reporters.
He said he had appealed to members of both the JD(S) and the BJP to raise the issue in the Karnataka Assembly. KUMARASWAMY ALSO OPPOSES BIDADI TOWNSHIP PROJECT He said the party had also decided to oppose the AI Powered Bidadi Township project. "If the government does not take any action, we will launch our fight to stop this toll collection. I have appealed to the people with folded hands not to pay from today itself," he said. Referring to the High Court's observations, Kumaraswamy said, "The High Court has observed that the BMIC project appears to be one of the biggest scams in the state." He said that, in view of the judgment, motorists should not pay toll on the road. "The state government must wake up to the serious observations made by the High Court regarding the NICE project. The Court has pointed to serious irregularities in the implementation of the project and has questioned the manner in which toll is being collected from motorists," he said.
KUMARASWAMY CALLS IT A BIG SCAM Kumaraswamy referred to the judgment delivered by a Division Bench of the Karnataka High Court on July 29 in connection with alleged irregularities in the NICE project. According to a statement issued by the JD(S), the High Court said the BMIC project "appears to be one of the biggest scams in the state" and that the matter was fit for an independent investigation by a team of experts into allegations of fraud and other offences, along with a forensic audit of the project accounts. "These observations of the High Court make it clear how serious the situation surrounding this project is. The people of Karnataka must understand what the judgment says and what it reveals about the manner in which the project has been implemented," Kumaraswamy said. Questioning the state government's silence, Kumaraswamy said it should respond to the Court's observations. Reacting to his remarks, Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge said no BJP leaders had ever protested when toll rates were increased across the country.
The BriefWire