[sustran] Re: Fw: MoEF shirks responsibility in reviewing massive environmental and social impacts of Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor Project

ESG esg at bgl.vsnl.net.in
Thu Aug 16 22:49:08 JST 2001


Dear Mehta ji,

Your concerns on policy implications and their impact locally are as 
relevant to us.  The Prime Minister's Golden Quadrilateral Project is the 
motto of all road infrastructure developments.  I have found the BMIC 
project to be the most explicit in extorting all subsidies possible and 
consider this project to amongst the first to have modelled justification 
of public subsidy for clearly private profit.  In short the BMIC project is 
nothing short of a land scam.

You will notice in the enclosed article that the Karnataka Government is 
waiving Town Planning levies to aid this project, revenue that is bread and 
butter for the good maintenance of our urban areas.

I will be interested in knowing if such projects have been conceived before 
in Asia and what has been the experience.

Leo Saldanha


Hindu Businessline
Karnataka mega core projects to get more sops
Madhumathi D.S.
BANGALORE, July 11
MEGA infrastructure projects coming up in Karnataka are slated to get a 
bounty in the form of exemption from urban levies and cesses under a 
forthcoming amendment to the Karnataka Town & Country Planning Act, 1961.
An immediate beneficiary of its enactment will be the Kalyani-promoted 
Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor Project (BMICP).
At least, two other private promoted ventures that may also be eligible for 
the exemption are the international airport at Devanahalli and the city's 
elevated light rail project that is being promoted by the UB consortium.
The waiver for BMICP, for one, can easily amount to Rs 300-500 crore, 
sources said. This project is currently awaiting MoEF's green clearance.
BMICP's promoter consortium, Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise 
(NICE) Ltd, has sought the waivers on the ground that it is developing some 
20,000 acres of land on its own for a 111-km toll road and five abutting 
townships.
NICE officials said concessions for the Rs 2000-crore project were sought 
and conceded in the 1997 initial agreement with the Government.
A new Section 18 A added to the Act contains the exemption clause for a 
clutch of cesses towards betterment, BDA, change of land use, Cauvery water 
and Ring Road among others. The Bill had been returned by the governor last 
year for clarifications.
According to officials, exemptions under the amendment will apply only to 
key proposals which have been declared by the Government as infrastructure 
projects. The revenue would, however, accrue from third and eventual buyers 
downstream.



At 06:21 AM 8/16/01 +0530, kisan wrote:

>----- Original Message -----
>From: kisan <kisansbc at vsnl.com>
>To: <esg at bgl.vsnl.net.in>
>Cc: <<sustran-discuss at jca.ax.apc.org>>;
><<gaia-members at lists.essential.org>>; <<etoxic at yahoogroups.com>>;
><<hjk at rincon>; <net>>
>Sent: Wednesday, August 15, 2001 5:30 PM
>Subject: MoEF shirks responsibility in reviewing massive environmental and
>social impacts of Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor Project
>
>
> > Dear Leo, Maj Gen. Vombatkere and Dr. Vasu,
> >
> > Your 14.08 email.   I do not find anything unusual in MoEF response.
> > This is how  the apex env  protection authority does in all issues.
> > Every State Env Dept  copies with vengence. We sometimes feel
> > disappointed as to how these authorities cause and abet disasters.
> >
> > There is no basis for building Bangalore-Mysore expressway when direct
> > Bang=My railway corridor exists.   Trains can run at 15 minute interval
>and
> > be upgraded for  our fast emerging vehicle owning elite who `shirk' to
>bear
> > the cost of expressway.  It is again our non car owning citizens who are
> > burdened with cost for providing comfort to our rich citizens.
> >
> > In Maharashtra situation is no different.  The Govt of Maharashtra (GOM)
>is
> > going ahead with construction of West Island Expressway (conceived by
> > foreign consultants in 1962-63) connecting Bandra to Nariman Point at a
> > staggering cost of Rs 30 billion (no cost data given to citizens in this
> > world
> > of free access to information and transparency. When the EIA of
>independent
> > consutants pointed out the hazards, the GOM got  the expressway designer
>as
> > consultants to show that no damage would come up and is out to squander 30
> > billion when 50% of Maharashtra is under severe draught at the height of
>the
> > monsoons and when it is cutting down allocations on eduction and public
> > health to meet day-to-day expenditure.
> >
> > All this is coming due to the GOI  commitment to link principal Indian
> > cities by expressways likely to cost Rs 25,000 trillion.  This is World
> > Bank/IMF dictat which our protectors cannot ignore.   You are aware that
>the
> > WB
> > now insists on the proper Rehabilitation and Resettlement so you can
> > ask the ICICI or other funding agency to go into the environmental, social
> > and R&R aspects. The MoEF public hearings is a sham and  we cannot
> > depend on them to place the real situation before the MoEF.  The
> > MoEF does not consider issues objectively. The GOM has changed
> > the WIE alignment three times still the MoER minister comes to Mumbai
> > to assure  early clearance on the first alignment.
> >
> > What is the way out?  Law Courts?  Our High Court takes long to take
> > up the PIL yet does not give interim injunction.  It appears to be the
>last
> > ray of hope. Can you not presuade the Indian Railways to optimise this
> > corridor? Now it is highly underutlised.  The GOM and Raiways have
> > set up joint ventrue to upgrade Mumbai's suburban railway service. This
> > can be a possibility to defeat the Bang-My expressway. Best wishes.
> >
> > Kisan Mehta
> >
> > From: Environment Support Group <esg at bgl.vsnl.net.in>
> > To: <kisansbc at bom5.vsnl.net.in>
> > Sent: Tuesday, August 14, 2001 6:39 PM
> >

Environment Support Group (R)
S-3, Rajashree Apartments
18/57, 1st Main, S. R. K. Gardens
Jayanagar, Bannerghatta Road
Bangalore 560 041. INDIA
Telefax: 91-80-6341977
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Email: esg at bgl.vsnl.net.in
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