25 Oct 2007 - BMIC Officials and MD resort to Violence and Intimidation

On 25 October 2007, ESG Team members and several international students and faculty were assaulted by a large group of men while traveling on the Peripheral Road of Bangalore from Kanakapura to Mysore Road. This dastardly attack was led by Mr. Ashok Kheny, Managing Director of M/s Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise Ltd., his PRO Mr. Manjunath, and several scores of his security men. Enclosed are pictures of this assault.

Read FIR filed with Police - Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12

Picture 1 Ashok Kheny (bespectacled man in T-shirt), Managing Director of Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE), 'project developers' of the highly contested and controversial Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor Project, led the attack on ESG staff and several international students as they were crossing the Southern Peripheral Road of Bangalore near Sompura village, Kengeri, Bangalore. Seen here is Ashok Kheny, along with his men, encircling the bus. At this time Ashok Kheny started abusing Leo Saldanha, Coordinator, Environment Support Group (on the cell attempting to reach higher police authorities) and this resulted in several of his men attacking Leo physically. Dolly Kalita of ESG (in yellow T-shirt) luckily escaped their brutalities at this stage.

Picture 2 Leo being kicked and pushed around by Ashok Kheny's private security guards and NICE employees, as police remain mute spectators. The man in white shirt in the foreground seemed most effective amongst NICE employees in orchestrating this attack. Apparently a former police official, the police in uniform seemed to defer to him throughout this incident.

Picture 3 Leo lying on the road after being kicked to the ground. The man in full white shirt (in foreground with back to the camera) is Manjunath, PRO of NICE. He had just before incited his men to attack by saying such things as "we can finish you (meaning Leo) off, whenever we want to".

Picture 4 Manjunath and the man in white shirt were amongst the main perpetrators of the attack along with Ashok Kheny.

Picture 5 Students calling for help, as Leo protects the NICE employees from getting at the bus.

Picture 6 The man in glasses was the first to arrive and confront the ESG team as they had parked on the roadside. He claimed that he was the Chief Security Officer of NICE and also a former Dy. Supt. of Police. The serving police officials who arrived on the scene seemed to defer at lot to what he said, and thus did not come to the rescue of the ESG team and students. The young man in half sleeve white shirt was particularly aggressive.

Picture 7 Another picture revealing police remained mere spectators.

Picture 8 B. S. Manjunatha, Sub Inspector of Thalagattapura Police Station, who arrived later, was particularly unhelpful. He verbally accused Leo and the ESG team of "disrupting peace" and even asked his men to arrest Leo ('u/s 341 of IPC') when he demanded a spot inspection by an officer independent of this police station. Leo was compelled to ask for an independent inspection, as everyone of the Thalagattapura Police were absolutely unhelpful to ESG team and students.

Picture 9 Another picture reveals that the ESG bus and car were in no way 'obstructing traffic' as NICE has accused them of in the media. NICE employees seen surrounding the bus and refusing to allow it to move as police remain absolutely unhelpful to the victims of the attack.

Picture 10 Leo arguing to be left to go with his team. But the NICE men simply did not relent.

Picture 11 Another picture of Ashok Kheny's private security guards in an aggressive mood.

Picture 12 Another scene of the aggression on ESG team.

Picture 13 Rather than dealing with the situation appropriately, the police picked Leo apparently, at this stage, under arrest. Realising their folly, the police did not arrest Leo, but ensured he remained in their jeep.

Picture 14 Ashok Kheny's private security guard (this man with a mustache was especially aggressive) in the act of attacking Bhargavi, Dolly and Leo. Leo shouted at him not to lay his hands on the women, but this man kept pushing ahead in his efforts to grab Leo and his camera.

Picture 15 Another scene of NICE security men having encircled the ESG bus. This photo is taken from Leo's car as it quickly retreated from the 300 yards or so it had covered already, and when it was realised that the NICE employees had tactically allowed Leo's car to move away, and then encircled the bus with students. The ESG hired bus is seen parked on the shoulder.

Picture 16 Leo seen urging NICE employees to let them go, and not to cause any aggression.

Picture 17 Another picture showing NICE employees in an aggressive mood.

Picture 18 A foreigner, who was with Ashok Kheny, was on the scene throughout this attack.

 

09 June 2005 - Illegal demolitions by BMTF Official to aid NICE

In a most shocking development, Shri. V. Thimappa, Suptd. Of Police, Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force (BMTF), assisted by about 150 policemen engaging three JCBs and four Poclain machines, and without any backing of an executive and judicial order, began demolishing private properties in the Pilaganahalli village, near Gottigere, off Banneghatta Road. He was ostensibly engaged in this operation to aid M/s Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE) and their controversial Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor Project (BMIC) involving the construction of an expressway and five townships between Bangalore and Mysore. Read the Press Release

10,000 acres Excess Acquisition! The Unimaginable Land Scam that BMIC Project is Today

March, 2005 -An Expressway and Five Townships were proposed to decongest Bangalore and enable proper development of the region in 1995. All that was needed per the original technical report was 18,000 acres (appox.) of land.
A decade later, there is no Expressway or the promised townships. Previously 'confidential' documents now prove that Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE), in collusion with key senior officials of Karnataka, have grossly abused land acquisition powers to notify 29,258 acres of land, an excess of over 10,000 acres! Thousands of small and marginal farmers who have been displaced have been provided only a pittance in compensation, but NICE now gets to sell these lands at a whopping profit at current market rates. Read the press release about this unprecedented land scam.

CM for review of BMIC

Chief Minister N Dharam Singh on Tuesday (17 August, 2004) said Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor project will be reviewed and added that action will be initiated against the project promoters, Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE) in case of any violations. Singh also told reporters that as a first step the state government had asked the Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises (NICE) not to take up township projects, until the government spelt out its view on the entire project.

BMIC Project illegal per new Environmental Notification

Regardless of what the present imbroglio over the Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor Project results in, one thing is certain: the project will now have to undergo a comprehensive and fresh review of its environmental and social impacts following a recent amendment to the Environment Impact Assessment Notification of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF). Further, Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE) is likely to lose the controversial environmental clearance granted for the expressway component by MoEF in August 2001, as it has both changed the nature of the project from what was originally proposed (which is not allowed at all), and has not complied conditions imposed.

Krishna wants BMIC project scrapped

In a letter to Chief Minister, Mr. Dharam Singh, the former Chief Minister, Mr S. M. Krsihna said that to put an end to the controversy, save thousands of acres of farmland and the environment, and in the light of the four-laning of the existing Bangalore-Mysore highway, it would be appropriate to wind up the BMIC project.

 

Events in 2003

Chief Minister SM Krishna's reply to an appeal (to shelve the BMIC Project) by a campaign supporter, Ms. Nagini Prasad, Dec 23, 2003

Ms. Nagini Prasad wrote to Chief Minister SM Krishna voicing her concerns on aping western models (BMIC is based on the Columbia-Maryland model) of transport in India and how one has to consider viable alternatives in the local scenario. Read the email exchange between Nagini and the CM.

Former PM accuses CM of corruption in BMIC project, Dec 21, 2003

In an important development, former Prime Minister Shri. H. D. Devegowda , in a press conference accused the Karnataka Chief Minister Shri. S. M. Krishna, and Chief Secretary, Shri. B. S. Patil, of being deeply involved in corrupt practices in promoting the Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor Project. See the Press page for more details.

High court's take on BMIC, Dec 18,2003

The Karnataka High Court quashed land aquisition for acquiring lands for the construction of townships and convention centres for the BMIC Project. ESG has welcomed the order considering that the townships were crucial to cross-subsidise the expressway,(for the latter is not financially viable on its own and the townships are viewed as a captive source of expressway tolls, for they will mainly be accessible via the expressway), the project now has no standing at all. Press realease.
Read letters of endorsements to the appeal and their views expressed in letters to the CM.

CM Inaugurates 4-laning work of existing SH 17 at Maddur; ESG urges CM to shelve BMIC project, Dec 17, 2003

ESG appealed to the Chief Minister of Karnataka to shelve the BMIC project when he expressed his indignation on the negligible progress on the Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor project (BMIC), while inaugurating the 4-laning works of the Maddur-Bangalore section of SH-17 (Bangalore Mysore Highway) on 15th Dec 2003. To voice your support you can mail this appeal to the CM at cm@kar.nic.in

Read responses and endorsements of the letter of appeal to the CM.

Events in 2002

• In August 2002, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) filed a case against ICICI, the lead financier of the consortium financing BMIC.  This was in response to an inquiry by ESG as to the compliance of financiers of BMIC to a binding RBI directive on "Financing of Infrastructure Projects" dated February 2002.  The outcome of this case is awaited.
• Meanwhile the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) claims it is investigating the inquiry by ESG into compliance by NICE with several conditions in the MoEF conditional environmental clearance issued in August 2001.
• The Government of Karnataka (GoK) is expected to take a major cabinet decision on BMIC in the near future.  ESG is requesting all concerned citizens to take action by alerting the Chief Minister of Karnataka to the unresolved issues surrounding BMIC prior to the cabinet decision.