BMIC: Gottigere lake muddle?

check out leo saldhana's reply to a question on why ESG as a NGO choose to bed HDK's govt..

I hope it is not out of place to clarify our stand on events that took place over a year ago.

Firstly, meeting the Chief Minister is a prerogative of any individual or group. We were trying to meet Chief Minister’s since 1997, when we first began to raise criticisms about the project. It was only Mr. Kumaraswamy, the present Chief Minister, who consented to our request. It was a big surprise to us when he gave us so much time, and also requested us to submit our memorandum before the media which had gathered in his office.

Secondly, ours was a very public act. If the CM chose to receive it in front of the media, we are not complaining. We want everyone, especially the media, that Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise has committed gross irregularities in the process of implementing the project. All this is written up and online at our website www.esgindia.org. We substantiate everything we say on the basis of documentation, and the same is online including maps. Maps don’t lie.

Third, media has played a rather skewed role in covering mainly those aspects of the project that NICE has projected. The media has also bought the myth created by Mr. Ashok Kheny, MD of NICE, that Supreme Court has backed the project the way he wants to build it. This is an utter lie and also a matter presently being challenged as Contempt of Court. What the Hon’ble Supreme Court has held is that the project must and only must be built in terms of the alignment and project features as endorsed in the Framework Agreement and statutory authorities, such as KSPCB, MOEF, etc. The Court has never said that the road can be built wherever convenient to NICE and its supporters.

Fourth: Commissioning a project is a very legal act. It has to be endorsed by regulatory agencies. The June 15th “soft opening” of the Peripheral Road Section of the BMIC project (really a very tiny section of the overall project completed by NICE) is clearly an illegal act, as it did not have the sanction of various regulatory authorities. The fact that this was popular amongst a section of the local population, Monhandas Pai of Infosys included, does not make it legal.

Fifth. On 7th July 2007, the Judges of the Karnataka Stat Environment Appellate Authority will conduct a site visit to confirm the degree to which NICE has violated project conditions, when building the Peripheral Road section. Had such an inspection been done a long time ago by higher Courts, this problem of debating a fact would never have arisen. The fact that this is now happening is a most welcome beginning to put to rest all controversies about who is right.

Finally, ESG works on a variety of issues. Some of activities gain attention, because we raise critical questions about projects that blatantly skewed towards middle class and elite aspirations. Certain sections of the media have unfortunately identified themselves with such skewed perceptions, and there is no use asking why: we all know why. ESG will continue to work on as many issues of public concern (not merely middle class concern) as our resources permit. Any of you are welcome to our office to debate your concerns."