[svsantosh]

TIMES OF INDIA, Bangalore, 18-dec-2008
-------------------------------------------------------

Users of BMIC peripheral road, prepare to pay toll



TIMES NEWS NETWORK



Bangalore: Frequent users of the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) peripheral road will have to pay toll from Thursday. Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises (NICE), promoters of the corridor, commenced toll collection at midnight on Wednesday on the BMIC peripheral and link roads.
NICE MD Ashok Kheny said: “Though the company faced many hurdles, I stuck to my dream of completing the project. Unstinted support from the public when we were subjected to substantial trials has made this possible. We have bounced back every time on a winning note, largely due to people’s support.’’

[vikram_d]

What will the toll be if I want to go from Hosur road to Tumkur Road? Will it be a total of all these or will it be a different rate? The total comes to Rs.148:00. Extremely high. Also don't see any two way fares. So for a to & fro trip it will Rs.296:00.

Highway robbery has a new meaning to me now.

[svsantosh]

TIMES OF INDIA, Bangalore Edition.
19-dec-2008

-------------------------

STOP, PAY, ZIP



From Thursday, motorists on the peripheral and link roads of the 13-year-old Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor project had to pay a toll. It marks a significant milestone in infrastructure projects in Karnataka.


— Tulika Singh
TIMES NEWS NETWORK



Bangalore: The drive was smooth on Day 1 on NICE’s tolled peripheral road. But even with the users giving the nod to the quality of the road, it was hard to miss the traffic pile-up at the manual toll booths.
Channelled through three different routes — covering Hosur Road, Bannerghatta Road, Kanakapura Road, Mysore Road, Magadi Road and Tumkur Road — the peripheral road comes with greenery on the flanks. If feedback on the first day is any indication, the road has found favour with the commuter. “The roads are smooth. But we had to wait for some time at the booths,’’ Tushar, a college student taking the road for the first time, said.
The toll tariff is Rs 21 for cars, Rs 8 for two-wheelers and Rs 36 for heavy vehicles. The first day had its good share of truck traffic on the routes as well. Shivakumar Sangoli, associate vice-president, NICE, said the two-lane system was helping to ensure that the roads were not choking.
The Hosur route, at present, has two manual booths operating. With the electronic toll booth system yet to take off, it was all manual on the road, at times leading to minor logjams near the booths. According to NICE representatives, the electronic toll system will start functioning within a week, on all the routes.
Six booths will be created in all, regulating traffic faster and smoother. Now it’s taking about a minute to cover the payment and issuance of receipt, and once the electronic booths are up and running, it could be done in a matter of a few seconds, according to the officials.
On Thursday, NICE officials were seen signing receipts and issuing them. The manual toll fee system was opened only on Wednesday night.

PROJECT BMIC



The venture:

Develop infrastructure and improve vehicular traffic between Bangalore and Mysore, and within Bangalore

The promise:

Cut down travel time to 1.5 hrs from 3.5 hrs

1995:

Karnataka govt approves Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor Project (BMICP); Kalyani Group of Companies and SAB International Ltd form Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises Ltd (NICE) to develop Bangalore Mysore Infrastructure Corridor on Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) basis Then CM H D Deve Gowda signs contract

April 3, 1997:

Framework Agreement (constitution of project) signed with NICE by then CM J H Patel

IN NUMBERS



Primary features

41 km of peripheral road connecting NH4 (Bangalore-Pune highway), Magadi Road, Mysore Road, Kanakapura Road, Bannerghatta Road, NH7 (Hosur Road) 9-km link road, connecting city centre to expressway and 111-km expressway connecting Bangalore to Mysore.

Benefits

World-class infrastructure, peripheral road to help heavy truck traffic bypass Bangalore, decongest city

Three phases

Phase 1: 41 km peripheral road, 9 km link road and 12 km expressway connecting first township of corporate centre near Bidadi Phase 2: Two townships — commercial centre and industrial centre; construction of 13 km of expressway Phase 3: Two townships — heritage centre and ecotourism centre; remaining portion of expressway; 3 km of elevated link road (connecting city centre to link road)

NICE estimate

Rs 2,250 cr (land acquisition and road component); total investment over Rs 18,000 cr

Special features

Five townships with schools, hospitals, parks, recreation, water and power supply, telecommunication links, sewage treatment facilities

Corporate centre:

Headquarters and R&D facilities

Commercial centre:

Retail light industry and municipal support services

Industrial centre:

Focal point for durable goods, industrial R&D

Heritage centre:

Lake with buildings housing arts, crafts, traditional healing facilities etc

Eco-tourism centre:

Nature parks, theme parks, cultural arts centre





‘Road is lovely...’

The toll is a good idea; it was supposed to be a tolled road. But a major problem remains on the Hosur Road-Bannerghatta Road section, which is the stretch at Gottigere lake that has not been completed yet. Despite that, nearly 25% of the traffic between the two roads takes the BMIC road (instead of going around to the Silk Board junction). If that stretch too can be completed quickly and trucks are mandated to take the BMIC road all the way between Tumkur Road and Hosur Road, it will help to significantly decongest central Bangalore. Our lives have become unlivable in Bangalore today because of traffic congestion. We spend 2.5 to 3 hours each day on the road.

T V Mohandas Pai |

HR DIRECTOR, INFOSYS TECHNOLOGIES
The BMIC Road is a lovely road — very safe, the gradient is very low, so you can speed, avoid braking. The toll you pay can be made up in the fuel you save on account of the higher speed and less braking.

Bevin Thomas |

FORMER COMMITTEE MEMBER OF ELECTRONICS CITY INDUSTRIES ASSOCIATION





NICE RIDE AHEAD: A stretch of Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor from Mysore Road to Hosur Road (Below) The toll booth which began operating on Thursday

[svsantosh]

contd from 19th Dec TOI, Blore
------------

INTERVIEW

‘No party or govt supported us in the project’


Anil Kumar M | TNN


Considering that chief minister B S Yeddyurappa was always in favour of the project, did his assuming power expedite things for you?
It’s a misconception that the BJP government came to our aid. Frankly, no party or government in power has supported us in executing the project. The corridor’s peripheral and link roads have been completed only because we took the legal recourse. To sum up, the public’s blessings helped us complete part of the project.
Isn’t the NICE toll on the higher side?
The company has provided world-class infrastructure. The fee quoted has been calculated taking 1998 as the base year. That was approved by the state cabinet in 2000. The fee imposed is according to the concessional agreement signed between the company and state government. We conducted several meetings with truckers association and other before finalizing the fares. A truck travelling to Tumkur Road from Hosur besides saving precious hours also saves Rs 805 per day. In actual terms, savings will be higher than the toll.
But two-wheeler riders feel the toll fee of Rs 13 for a 9-km link road is steep?
Our main idea is to discourage twowheelers on this road. It’s meant for high-speed vehicles. Many a times I have seen two-wheeler riders plying on this road without wearing helmets. Even though I cannot impose a ban on twowheelers, I want to discourage them by imposing a heavy toll.
How will the government benefit by this project?
As the project is under a build-own-operate-transfer (BOOT) basis, the government will benefit to a great extent in terms of infrastructure. It will see large investments flowing in. The land value will increase many times through revenue generation in terms of stamp duty. Farmers willing to sell their land can get a higher price for their plots. So, there’s all-round benefit by this project.
The expressway connecting Bangalore and Mysore is still a distant dream. How will you fulfil and what are the plans for this stretch?
It was a distant dream, but now the time has come to give a push to that dream. In all probability, work on the expressway will start very soon and is expected to be completed by December 2009. Popular tourist spots like Ranganatittu bird sanctuary, Somanatha temple, Talakadu and others en route to Mysore will get a facelift. Travel time between the two cities will be reduced by 50%. I also have a plan to construct a bridge similar to Golden the Gate bridge in San Francisco across the Cauvery where it cuts across the expressway. The company, for developing spots, will set aside a certain portion of the toll. This apart, NICE will also develop the villages that come on the way to Mysore.
With the company achieving part of the target, what are the big plans in the offing?
A proposal has been submitted to the government to build a 2,500-km expressway connecting almost all important districts in the state. For every 25 km, there would be an interchange. Cold storages, food processing units, warehouses, veterinary and health clinics among others will be constructed in various locations. Around 35 lakh farmers will benefit by this project. They can store their produce in these cold storages and sell to companies, resulting in higher value for their products. This project realizes the dream of reaching Mangalore in just 3 1/2 hours from Bangalore. You can reach Bidar in 6 hours.
toiblr.reporter@timesgroup.com


Ashok Kheny, MD, NICE



---------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------

It was a hurdle race for Kheny


Anil Kumar M | TNN


Bangalore: Unperturbed by the political vendetta against him, Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises (NICE) managing director Ashok Kheny has had his way. He has partly achieved his ambition by completing, and commencing toll fee for the peripheral and link of the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project.
Perhaps the only infrastructure project to be scrutinized in such detail in the country, NICE has overcome many political and legal hurdles. It is no secret that former PM H D Deve Gowda and later his son, former CM H D Kumaraswamy, had a running battle with Kheny and became spokes in the wheel of BMIC.
Due to non-cooperation from the Kumaraswamy government, it was entangled in a legal battle for four long years. However, the Supreme Court on April 20, 2006, paved the way for the Rs 2,250-crore four-lane expressway — the apex court upheld the Karnataka High Court judgment which
favoured the continuance of the project, and stated, “The entire appeal was with mala fide intention.’’
The Kumaraswamy government filed a petition before the SC, seeking review of its April 20 order relating to the controversial four-lane expressway project, and rehearing of the matter. In the petition, it mentioned that Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE) had secured 2,150 acres around Bangalore, in excess of what was actually required. At today’s price, the land was worth over Rs 30,000 crore, it added. In addition, Kumaraswamy on July 6, 2006, announced a judicial probe into the project. However, after a contempt petition by NICE, the SC dismissed the state government’s review petition.
Some relief came for Kheny from the Yeddyurappa government. The BJP government decided to hand over 102 acres of land to NICE to complete the bottlenecks on the link and peripheral ring roads of BMIC.
Earlier to cabinet clearance, the empowered committee on BMICP headed by chief secretary Sudhakar Rao had given clearance to NICE to go ahead with pending works. Governor Rameshwar Thakur, during President’s rule, had also issued an order paving the way for completion of the peripheral and link road.
The Yeddyurappa government scrapped the Justice B C Patel oneman judicial commission probing the alleged transfer of excess land to BMIC, and also the Swiss Challenge method, both mooted by Kumaraswamy to stall NICE from taking the project ahead.
In the process, the Kumaraswamy government attracted the wrath of the Karnataka High Court and Supreme Court on five occasions in the last three years. In addition to the state government, the SC had issued contempt notices on seven bureaucrats for non-compliance of its April 2006 order: BDA chairman P B Mahishi, former PWD principal secretary Sudhir Krishna, former revenue secretary S M Jamdar, former UDD secretary Subash Chandra and bureaucrats Rame Gowda, Shashidhar and Mukunda Hemmige.
toiblr.reporter@timesgroup.com



---------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------

[Sowmya]

Originally Posted by sushrutha

Whopping 44 Rs from Tumkur road to Mysore road & vice versa. That's too much for approx 15kms. Now i'm seriously thinking as to take this route or not .

I agree with you that the cost is bit on higher side. I think 10-20% lesser of the above cost would have more justified.

For above example : You need to pay 44 + 50 (Petrol) = 90 Rs.
But assume if you are going through the City you may has to travel 20KM approx. and 1 hours in traffic jam/signal.
1 hours traffic you will loose 1 lt of petrol = 50 Rs.
20 KM traveling = 70 approx.
Total 70+50 = 120 Rs...
So still you are in profit. + TIME Saving.

I also suggest to have a Speed Gun there. Else these will be a racing track by the notorious driver. More accident.

[vikram_d]

Originally Posted by Sowmya

I also suggest to have a Speed Gun there. Else these will be a racing track by the notorious driver. More accident.

It already is a race track for all illegal drags out here in Bangalore which also includes an illegal timing run organized by a popular auto magazine.

Edit: Also after giving a second thought to the toll charges, I think if people think their time is worth the toll then they will use it, else they will not.

Also why are they charging toll for the Hosur Road to Kanakpura Road when the intermediate Bannerghatta Road section is still not complete and is in complete shambles.

[snaronikar]

I feel the daily users of NICE road will move over to normal route now. The toll cost is extremely high. Even I do this road twice a week. Now, I'am also thinking whether to really use this road with such a high toll charges. Moreover, there is no connecting NICE road from end of kanakapura road to B'ghatta road and from B'ghatta road to come to Hosur road.

Its a daylight highway robbery by NICE.

[prabhuav]

Shambles is a mild way of putting it.

[deadguy25]

Considering that chief minister B S Yeddyurappa was always in favour of the project, did his assuming power expedite things for you?
It’s a misconception that the BJP government came to our aid. Frankly, no party or government in power has supported us in executing the project. The corridor’s peripheral and link roads have been completed only because we took the legal recourse. To sum up, the public’s blessings helped us complete part of the project.

SInce there was public blessing, does it mean: public has to end-up paying for the blessing given?

How will the government benefit by this project?
As the project is under a build-own-operate-transfer (BOOT) basis, the government will benefit to a great extent in terms of infrastructure. It will see large investments flowing in. The land value will increase many times through revenue generation in terms of stamp duty. Farmers willing to sell their land can get a higher price for their plots. So, there’s all-round benefit by this project.

So, they expect the full stretch to have a lot of buildings, offices, etc, thereby leading to usual pile-ups in a few years form now?

[praJEEP]

Originally Posted by svsantosh

But two-wheeler riders feel the toll fee of Rs 13 for a 9-km link road is steep?
Our main idea is to discourage twowheelers on this road. It’s meant for high-speed vehicles. Many a times I have seen two-wheeler riders plying on this road without wearing helmets. Even though I cannot impose a ban on twowheelers, I want to discourage them by imposing a heavy toll.


Ashok Kheny, MD, NICE

Khenny this not fair you really deserve some toll bumps

[srishiva]

Its been 6 months since he is saying Bengaluru-Mysooru work will start shortly and would finish by Dec 2009.

[HappyWheels]

Originally Posted by srishiva

Its been 6 months since he is saying Bengaluru-Mysooru work will start shortly and would finish by Dec 2009.

I guess he will be singing this song even then. The project time frame, even if it start now, would certainly cross Dec 2009!

[deadguy25]

Originally Posted by HappyWheels

I guess he will be singing this song even then. The project time frame, even if it start now, would certainly cross Dec 2009!

Once the Bangalore-Mysore road is done, would we be expected to shell out around 500 INR for using that road?

[DWind]

Originally Posted by svsantosh

The company has provided world-class infrastructure. The fee quoted has been calculated taking 1998 as the base year. That was approved by the state cabinet in 2000. The fee imposed is according to the concessional agreement signed between the company and state government.

If the quote is based on 1998 as base year then he should have completed the overbridges across Mysore, Kanakapura roads then. This is not fair Mr. Kheny. You did not complete your part of the deal and cannot blame governments for the delay.

[kaushik_s]

Doesn't the TOI news article seems like a advertising of the NICE road? While other newspaper (DH etc) pointing out the pain of the commuter (due to toll/ rough connecting roads etc), TOI seems to be in all praise for it. Probably lots of money has gone into someone's pockets to keep the praising going.