The Karnataka government has been asked by the State High Court to explain its stand by June 26 with regard to financial tender/financial bids for executing road works (five packages) in the Nadaprabhu Kempe Gowda layout near Kengeri in Bangalore. A division bench headed by Chief Justice DH Waghela observed this while adjourning the hearing of a PIL challenging the inviting of tender/financial bid by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA).    

A resident of Bangalore city V Manjunatha, who filed the PIL, claimed that as against Rs 991.25 crore put to tender, the negotiated amount runs to Rs 2200.148 crore, a whopping increase of Rs 1208.89 crore. The BDA has issued acquisition notification with respect to 4,043 acres, 27 guntas. However, till date BDA has only 1,441 acres in its possession.    

Without taking note of this, BDA has issued this notification. The roads cannot be formed without taking possession of the entire land. The top brass of BDA, to appease the State government and to fund the poll campaign have pushed these tenders. The firms (all from Hyderabad) formed a cartel and are pressurising influential politicians to finalise the bid, the petitioner said.