Date:21/12/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/12/21/stories/2006122118090500.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Plea against townships rejected

Staff Reporter

Plea that State be told to proceed with BMICP admitted

Court refuses to allow plea for panel to be appointed

Orders issue of notices to Government, NICE

BANGALORE: The Karnataka High Court said on Tuesday it was not inclined to entertain for now the plea by the All India Manufacturers' Association (AIMO) to prohibit the State Government from proceeding with other projects until the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project was implemented. The AIMO had also wanted the Government to carry out the directions issued by the High Court and the Supreme Court on May 3, 2005 and April 20, 2006 respectively in letter and spirit.

The High Court also refused to entertain a plea that it issue a direction for the appointing of a person of eminence or a panel to supervise the implementation of the project.

It, however, admitted a petition from the association seeking a direction to the State Government to execute the project immediately and said that the plea would be examined.

The court ordered the issue of notices to the State Government and Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE) and directed them to file counter-affidavits within a month.

In it arguments before the court, the AIMO had said that despite the orders from the High Court and Supreme Court, the State had not released land for NICE to take up the corridor project. The project had been conceived with the objective of decongesting Bangalore and Mysore. When it was mooted, nobody other than NICE had come forward to take it up.