Hans News Service Bengaluru

UnionMinister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Tuesday intensified his criticism of the Bengaluru-Mysuru Infrastructure Corridor Project (BMIC/NICE), alleging large-scale financial and land-related irregularities and questioning the continued collection of toll on the NICE Road.

Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Kumaraswamy alleged that irregularities in the project amounted to more than Rs 3 lakh crore. He also accused project promoter Ashok Kheny of serious wrongdoing and said the government should first stop toll collection on the road.

Kumaraswamy further alleged that around 1.25 lakh acres connected to the project had been denotified in 2004 and claimed there was a plan to commercially exploit the land. He questioned Kheny’s reported claim that the state government would have to pay around Rs 2 lakh crore and asked who was supporting such demands.

The allegations come after a July 2026 Karnataka High Court judgment that raised serious questions over the implementation of the BMIC project. The court noted that the project originally envisaged a 111-km expressway, 41-km peripheral road, 9.8-km link road and five townships. It also recorded that only about five kilometres of the proposed expressway had been constructed in 25-26 years, according to a state affidavit.

The High Court dismissed appeals filed by NICE and KIADB and suggested independent assessment, investigation and a forensic audit of the project. The court also examined issues concerning land utilisation, compensation and toll collection.

Kumaraswamy said he had attempted to scrap the project when he was chief minister but claimed he did not receive adequate political support. He said farmers who had lost land had approached him for assistance and indicated that he would continue the legal fight following the court proceedings.