Bengaluru,: JD(S) state president H.D. Kumaraswamy has stepped up his demand for the Karnataka government to take over the long-delayed Bengaluru-Mysuru Infrastructure Corridor Project (BMICP) from private contractor Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE).

Kumaraswamy placed full-page advertisements in leading national newspapers on Sunday, quoting recent observations of the Karnataka High Court to highlight his allegations regarding the project.

Kumaraswamy calls project a major scam

The advertisement described the BMICP as “one of the biggest scams in the state of Karnataka” and featured what it described as key observations of the High Court along with details of the project.

The Union Minister also demanded that the D.K. Shivakumar-led state government immediately stop what he termed “illegal” toll collection by NICE.

Kumaraswamy appealed to people across Karnataka to raise their voice over the issue, saying the matter was not limited to JD(S) workers.

Long-running dispute over NICE

The dispute over the infrastructure project has continued for decades and has also involved a long-standing political disagreement between NICE chairman Ashok Kheny and the Gowda family.

Kheny, a former legislator and entrepreneur, heads NICE, the private entity entrusted with implementing the project.

The BMICP was approved in 1995 during H.D. Deve Gowda’s tenure as Karnataka Chief Minister. It was conceived as a major road and business corridor connecting Bengaluru and Mysuru, two of the state’s largest cities.

Project planned across large land area

The original project envisaged acquiring around 8,175 hectares, or approximately 20,193 acres, of land.

It also included a 41-km peripheral ring road around Bengaluru, which is now an operational toll road. Plans further included five townships and a Local Planning Area covering around 70,100.96 hectares, including 140 revenue villages, 54 part villages and Maddur Town.

The proposed infrastructure was intended to improve connectivity between Bengaluru and Mysuru while supporting economic activity along the corridor.

Kumaraswamy’s latest campaign has brought renewed political attention to the long-running dispute and the future of the project