SC green signal for Bangalore expressway

Work on the four-lane project will now continue as per the January 11 order of the High Court by which Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises (NICE), which is executing the project, were directed not to alienate land in any manner.

On May 3, the Karnataka High Court had ordered that the Chief Secretary K K Misra and Under Secretary M Shivalinga Swamy be prosecuted for “perjury and withholding” documents on the project.

The bench also quashed the State PWD Ministry order constituting an expert committee and a review committee to probe whether irregularities have taken place in allotment of land. H D Revanna, son of former PM H D Deve Gowda, holds the PWD portfolio.

After the Congress-led coalition government assumed office, it set up an expert committee headed by former PWD secretary K C Reddy to review the project in the wake of pressure from JDS supremo Gowda who had openly expressed apprehensions about alleged acquisition of “excess land” by NICE for real estate purposes. The Dharam Singh government had then declared it would recover the excess land and return it to farmers.