BENGALURU: Former prime minister HD Deve Gowda on Tuesday urged the state government to take back the excess land given to NICE for the Bengaluru-Mysuru Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project.
“(Chief Minister) Siddaramaiah talks about ethics. What is the difficulty in taking back 11,660 acres of excess land? Each acre costs around Rs 5-10 crore. They can use the money for their five guarantees,” the former PM told reporters. “Instead of preaching about ethics, the CM must take a firm stand on it,” he said.
Gowda said senior Congress leader and former minister TB Jayachandra, who was heading a House Committee, had given a report recommending action against alleged irregularities in the project. On July 20, 2023, Jayachandra, while speaking in the Assembly, asked the government to take back the project due to alleged irregularities, Gowda said.
The cabinet sub-committee was also formed during the BJP government headed by Basavaraj Bommai.
JDS MLA and former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy had earlier stated that they have decided to join hands with BJP to fight against the government on the NICE issue. He had also demanded the government to recommend a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the alleged irregularities in the project.