K'taka govt boycotts B'lore-Mysore corridor launch

K'taka govt boycotts B'lore-Mysore corridor launch

Our Bureau / Bangalore June 16, 2006

After 11 years of delay and innumerable controversies, a 9.8-kilometre stretch of the Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) expressway was thrown open to traffic on Friday. However, the soft launch of the expressway was boycotted by the state government, including ministers and officials.

The road that was opened on Friday was a section of the Peripheral Ring Road connecting Mysore and Kanakapura Road to the expressway. "So far, we have invested around Rs 700 crore on acquiring land and developing the road. If the government allots the land required for the project, we will commission the entire stretch of the BMIC expressway (113 km) by 2007-end," said Ashok Kheny, managing director, Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises (NICEL), the BMIC promoters.

The state government and NICEL are engaged in a prolonged battle with Kumaraswamy terming the BMIC a