Karnataka seems to be in a state of coma: Supreme Court

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, May 4: Don’t rule the state if you are afraid, the Supreme Court advised the B S Yeddyurappa government on Tuesday. Terming Karnataka a "state in a coma", the SC remarked that the government had no business to be in power if it can’t acquire land, fearing law and order problems.

The court made these remarks during a hearing on the acquisition of land for the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor project. The state submitted before court that it was proceeding slowly in acquiring land "to avoid law and order problems".

"Why are you not acquiring land? Where is the question of a law and order problem? Don’t rule the state if you are afraid," the three-judge Bench of Justices V S Sirpurkar, R M Lodha and T S Thakur said.

The BMIC project, which envisages creation of five satellite townships, is designed to reduce travel time between Bangalore and Mysore, but is bogged down by cases on land acquisition. State advocate-general Ashok Haranahalli submitted that the government was going slow on acquiring additional land as farmers might create law and order problems.

The SC also expressed surprise after the state said it did not acquire land even for laying basic road facilities. "Why have you not acquired land for roads? It is for a public cause. You seem to be in a state of coma," the bench told the state counsel.