BMRCL gets nod to acquire NICE land.

After nearly two years, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has finally got the green signal from the State government to acquire land currently in possession of Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises (NICE). The land acquisition was one of the major hurdles the corporation had been facing to implement Phase II of the Namma Metro project on Mysuru Road and Kanakapura Road.

Ajay Seth, Managing Director of BMRCL, said that ‘clarity had been reached’ to acquire the properties.

There are three ‘categories’ of properties in the possession of NICE. The first was acquired by the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) for an expressway project and the sale deed was executed in the name of NICE. The second comprises properties that were notified but compensation had not been awarded to property owners, and the third is land leased by the government to NICE.

The government's approval comes after several rounds of deliberations. The bone of contention, said metro officials, was awarding monetary compensation for the land. The government has given the go-ahead after seeking legal opinion from the Advocate General. However, it will take a call on awarding compensation at a later stage.

“Metro construction work on Mysuru Road and Kanakapura Road are at an advanced stage. The acquisition of land in possession of NICE is crucial to complete the project. After several rounds of deliberations, the matter reached the chief minister’s office. The required land for the project will be acquired and compensation will be awarded at a later stage, as various parameters need to be considered,” said a senior official.

As per the policy decision, land required for the NICE project will go back to the State government after a period of 30 years. “These parameters will be considered while fixing compensation for the project,” the official added.

The BMRCL will be acquiring 19,585.16 square metres of land. A majority of the land will be used for the Nagasandra – BIEC line (extension of Namma Metro on Tumakuru Road). More than 10,400 square metres are required on this stretch, which includes land for the construction of BIEC Metro station.

Most of the sites identified are located in Madavara village. The next major land acquisition is on Hosur Road for the R.V. Road to Bommasandra line. According to officials, a total of 7,772 square metres have been identified in Doddathoguru, Beratena Agrahara and Konappana Agrahara.

The BMRCL has already set 2020 as the deadline to start commercial operations on the extended portions on Mysuru Road and Kanakapura Road.

THE HINDU