Kumaraswamy Meets Farmers Affected by NICE Project, Pledges Support for Land Losers

promising to take up their grievances and continue the fight on their behalf.

Kumaraswamy is travelling across four locations along the project stretch, beginning at Madavara Junction and ending at Ganasandra, to meet affected families from more than 30 villages. He had announced the visit earlier, saying he wanted to hear directly from people who had been affected by land acquisition for the infrastructure project.

The Union minister appealed to affected landowners, members and leaders of the Janata Dal (Secular), and other residents to participate in the meetings and present their grievances. He said the campaign would continue until the issues raised by the affected communities were addressed.

The visit comes amid an intensifying political dispute over the NICE project, with Kumaraswamy repeatedly raising allegations concerning land acquisition, project agreements and alleged irregularities.

Kumaraswamy has alleged that the project resulted in major financial losses and has claimed that changes made to the original framework increased the amount of land brought under the project. He has also levelled allegations against Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar over his role in the project's planning and alleged changes to its framework. These are Kumaraswamy's allegations and have been disputed by Shivakumar and members of the Karnataka government.

The controversy has gained further attention following observations by the Karnataka High Court in July concerning land acquisition linked to the NICE project. The court upheld the cancellation of certain land acquisition notifications and called for consideration of a forensic audit of the project's accounts, while raising concerns about the treatment of landowners and the use of acquired land.

Kumaraswamy has described the alleged irregularities as involving land and assets worth several lakh crore rupees and has said he plans to release additional documents in support of his claims.

The NICE project was conceived as an infrastructure corridor intended to improve connectivity between Bengaluru and Mysuru through a tolled road network and associated development. The project has remained the subject of disputes involving land acquisition, compensation and the implementation of its original framework.

Kumaraswamy's latest meetings with affected farmers are part of his wider campaign against what he describes as irregularities in the project and inadequate protection of landowners' interests. The Union minister had previously announced plans to visit villages along the NICE stretch and interact with families affected by land acquisition.

The dispute has also triggered an exchange of allegations between Kumaraswamy and Karnataka government leaders, with ministers challenging his claims and asking him to substantiate allegations of wrongdoing through the appropriate legal and investigative mechanisms.