More of it here 

They could have been more clear, if at all..or probably they are not interested with DG's news hogging tactics...that is they being clean!!

Wonder what happened to the Lokayukta probe into DG's accusations?

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I think this is the essential difference between corruption in Karnataka and elsewhere. In other places, Mumbai, for example, people take money, but at the end of the day they deliver something which is of some reasonable quality. In Karnataka, basically money is taken and nothing is done. I suppose Kheny is bringing outside style corruption in to the state, while the existing people ( Deve et al. ) are teaching him the ways of Karnataka.

Your post sounds like you are OK with people looting farmers' lands and destroying lakes and forests, as long as they put up good roads or buildings. It is exactly this attitude coupled with our "chaltha hai" philosophy that has brought corruption to such dangerous levels. I would rather prefer not to have these roads at all than see the poor farmers loosing their lands and the enviroment being destroyed. I am sorry to be a bit rude - but we have to get ride of this paticular "urban middle class" mentality.

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Hi

My feeling on this whole corruption / NICE issue is that -

a. There is terrific corruption quite evident all over the city. Take the number of times they remake the footpaths and roads, for example.

b. NICE / Kheny may be corrupt as hell - but at least, at the end of the day, if he produces a good highway some good would have come out of it.

c. I think this is the essential difference between corruption in Karnataka and elsewhere. In other places, Mumbai, for example, people take money, but at the end of the day they deliver something which is of some reasonable quality. In Karnataka, basically money is taken and nothing is done. I suppose Kheny is bringing outside style corruption in to the state, while the existing people ( Deve et al. ) are teaching him the ways of Karnataka. 

d. It may be a huge land grab and Kheny may make a lot of money, but certainly if it is well done he would have given something of some value back. Unlike some others who have just robbed the state blind.

Ramesh

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I was also of the same opinion till some time ago..they finish the job well..then its ok!

I was also at the inagural function in 2007..what a grand affair that was! DKS then in oposition was there..they did the function though Kumaraswamy was against it!

If the fraud is really that big to the tune of 7000 acres..the guilty need to be punished..both in the governament and ultimately Mr Kheny.

The PRR can complete and thats it..no more work on NICE to Mysore..they should be ordered to handover the excess land..and exit! 

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While the truth may come to light, what is very disturbing in this thread is the open acceptance of corruption by educated class in India.

ASJ

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This is a high stakes game and everyone has his opinion. IMHO the NICE project shows exactly what is wrong with our system. Politicians and bureacrats have all made their monies and when those who lost out ( the mannina maga & co) thirsted revenge, they dredged up all the dirt. Fact of the matter is a pioneering project like this would have enough legal grey areas and everyone wants to milk every drop of those anamolies. For aam aadmi like us, what is important is that we have an alternate road from hosur road to tumkur road and what a relief it is to travel on that road. Anyone who does not believe so should travel on the existing roads to know the difference. Or try the crazy magadi road. Any way all those throwing stones at the (NICE) glasshouse, tell me are you ethical enough to accuse them? BTW, I hold a brief for no one and have no stakes either way. When the BJP was brought into power, i for one, thought that they would be cleaner (bribes wise) and do something for the state but now my hopes are belied. They are as corrupt if not worse and dont give a damn. BTW - a quick glance at the Lok Ayukta's predicament will give the game away and Yeddy wants consensus with the MLAs on giving the Lok Ayukta powers. On my dead body -- will be their comment.And all those government servants will continue with their looting ways and we all know who shares it. So life goes on....

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 "For aam aadmi like us, what is important is that we have an alternate road from hosur road to tumkur road and what a relief it is to travel on that road."

@namma_nadu - You are right everyone has a right to their opinion, but shouldnt we think beyond our comfort levels? For the few urban elite who travel on this road or can afford to travel on this road, have we not hit at the bread and butter (read ragi mudhe and soopu saru) of the farmers whos lands were taken off. 
What ever compensation these people received was miniscule compared to what they have lost. I am not against land aqusition for infrastructure projects, what i am against is the low levels of compensation that these people get.
That apart it seams they have taken over vast govt lands, lakes and adjoining catchment areas. If this is what development is all about, is it worthwile to have it? "aam aadmi" includes a lot more people that we think - it is not just us who sit in AC offices, travel in our private vehicles and have access to most comforts in life.
And for once i dont mind supporting DG - it might be that he was not taken care off well and hence he is protesting, but in the process he is doing what all politicians should have been doing in the first place.

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I have no clue about the allegations made on NICE being correct or not. My comment is to somebody who feels in todays society, at least he has delivered even if he has been corrupt.

I know this sounds like very unidealistic, but corruption of 25% - a few crores here and there, we can live with, as long as they deliver. If this 7000 acres is true, thats huge amount of money. Even at 1cr an acre, thats 7000 crores, a 100 times more than the  Bofors pay off. 

Interesting, the reply is full of the word scientific . If they could only explain the science behind it ...

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Hi

I'm just being realistic in accepting some corruption. There is absolutely NO WAY in which one can get rid of corruption - especially in these huge infrastructure projects, because there is too much money to be made.

This realization came to me when a friend from Norway told me that Oslo airport was made in the worst possible place it could be - its one of the foggiest parts of Norway, its very far from Oslo, and they built a 10 mile long rail tunnel, which cost billions,  to get to it as they didnt want to cut a forest. Finally, one of the people who was questioned  this project mysteriously fell out of the 17th floor of the hotel he was staying in.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oslo_Airport,_Gardermoen#Alleged_planning_scandal

Now, Norway is the richest country in the world - and perhaps one of the least corrupt. If such a thing can happen there, one can only imagine what can happen with less policing and less wealth.

So all I can do is to hope for the best under the circumstances - which is - at least the job should be done well. People who go after NICE should first look at what the BBMP is doing - apart from being linked with the timber mafia and cutting all the trees - have you been on Bellary road between Mekhri circle and the Hebbal flyover. The widening and overpasses are a complete disaster - while they `work' its almost like riding a roller coaster. And am sure in a couple of years it there will be a huge number of potholes and perhaps the overpasses will collapse.

Regard the comment about looting farmers lands, draining tanks etc. Well - the point is that once again, as is well known,  the BBMP / BDA has done far more damage in this regard. The allegations against NICE arem at this point, mainly of the nature that they went on one side of the tank instead of the other etc - and, at this point are still only allegations. As far as looting farmers land - the fact is that I'm sure most farmers will willingly sell their land for monetary compensation - they all want to get out of agriculture if they can - the issue usually is, as was the case in Singur - they feel the compensation was not enough because now, thanks to the infrastructural development, their land has become much more valuable. If you kill the project then the land will go back to being as valuable as it was earlier, or even less so - as is the case in Singur. 

I think it would benefit the city as a whole if much of the traffic, say from Hosur road to the airport, bypassed the city. It would also be good for the environment if there is a dedicated, uninterrupted highway between Mysore and Bangalore as driving at a constant speed is much more fuel efficient and less environmentally harmful than driving where one has to slow down often.

And I think far more damage is done in the long run by the project not getting completed. At this point it would be impossible for the project not to be finshed, though with court cases and allegations it could be a while. I'm all for booking everyone who is proven to be corrupt and throwing them in jail - once the project is over. 

Ramesh

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And also he knows the pulse of every politician.  He has handled hundreds of litigations, dealt with different politicians of all hues and cries, either bought them or sold them or even pawned them and he has the ability to satisfy the farmers to a greater extent, his CSR is above board than many MNCs and his works are there to see in most of the peripheral villages of NICE road.

Who was malleable and to what extent when the NICE contract was signed, did they have more than one for the road, and vanished into thin air leaving poor Ashok to the mercies of another Ministry that cried fowl with its song and dance to the tune of salsa? 

Every change of Ministry brought lorry loads of allegations(muck) and spread it on the nice road of NICE but Kheny got them cleaned and made it more attractive.  People who are driving are enjoying the drive and that itself is a blessing albeit some land here and there. 

-  I for one would go with Kheny because he is not cringing and is not bucking under various pressures of people and also various government officials, mutt heads, local leaders of various villages enroute, who have eaten his salt but still are spewing muck, may be to get a bit more salt.

- Vasanthkumar Mysoremath

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@rs - i am sorry, i dont agree with your point of view, just because we are not able to tackle corruption in govt agencies does not justify that we also accept corruption else where. This is exactly what is wrong with our moral system - it is like saying just because some else breaks traffic rules, it is ok for us to break the rules too. 

As far as looting farmers land - the fact is that I'm sure most farmers will willingly sell their land for monetary compensation - they all want to get out of agriculture if they can 

I am sure your opinions are based on what you have read in the newspapers (i hope that atleast u agree that our 4th estate is not something we can be very proud off) - so next time when you drive along the nice NICE road, do take detours, visit villages and talk to people to know the ground realities. We all have the right to take stands - i am just requesting you to base those opinions on ground realities and not on what you are made to read. And as a matter of fact, i havent meet a single farmer to date (even in the many drought hit regions) who would want to give up agriculture - farming is the only profession that they know for generations - just ask yourself if it would be ok if BBMP or BDA acquires your site/house for some road project, would you willingly give it up (there is so much pollution and traffic in the city - we can as well move out of here)?

And please we are not talking about  "some" corruption here.

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NICE officials maintained the company has the mandate to deviate from the original alignment decided after the framework agreement, as per the original agreement with the government.

more here

How can anyone make mistakes and claim that they have a signed approval to make mistakes?? Mandates goverened by fine print in the agreements??!!

Very surprised that NICE is making such stmts..if TOI can be believed!

Arent there any mandates for the governament to control such irregularities??

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Regional rail transit like planned in Delhi would have been better than the NICE road which can be used only by one class of society. Highways in India are so unsafe due to our driving culture and lots of people loose their life on highways, gas prices are going so high, so is pollution in India, China. 

A Regional Rail Transit System as planned in Delhi with high speed trains like the Airport Express would have been best to build the workers living in Suburbs to Bangalore for work. Even from cities like Mandya, Tumkur and probably even from Mysore to Bangalore for work in a safe, energy efficient and a greener way.

As per earlier discussions on Praja about Namma Railu on IR tracks which can achieve the same, but, IR is very slow in get the things rolling and may not give best of planning. A SPV is needed and open up a PPP model. 

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