Bengaluru: The state government has still not acted on the recommendation of a legislature committee that it hand over investigation of alleged irregularities in the execution of the Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises (NICE) project to the CBI.
The committee’s report that was tabled during the winter session of the state legislature in Belagavi on December 2 last year, was widely appreciated for the harsh measures it has suggested to deal with the problems dogging the project.
Although its been over two months since Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, T. B. Jayachandra tabled the report in the legislature, the Public Works Department (PWD) has still not taken a decision on whether or not to place it before the state Cabinet for its approval, according to official sources.
While the minister has insisted that PWD officials cannot ignore the recommendations of the committee or only opt to partially implement them, sources close to the Law and Parliamentary Affairs department say the PWD is still undecided on the matter.
Mr Jayachandra said he could do nothing as it was upto the PWD to take a call on the report. “I cannot take a decision on this issue. The report will be placed before the Cabinet once the PWD takes a decision to go by the recommendations made and then will be referred to the law department for its consent,” he said.
The committee, has in its report, claimed that land meant for inter -change connectivity has been misused by NICE to earn revenue of Rs. 4,956 crore illegally and it was using the land allotted to it for mining for quarrying, and was evading paying a royalty of Rs 250 crore to the state government.
Listing other alleged irregularities by the company, it recommended an investigation into the Bengaluru–Mysore Infrastructure Corridor Project (BMICP) it was executing either by the CBI or the Enforcement Directorate.
