For tunnel road tech, BBMP engineers visit Vizag, set to land in Kashmir next
BENGALURU: A team from the engineers' wing of BBMP has started visiting other Indian cities where tunnel road projects are being executed. This is to assess and adopt the best practices to execute the first phase of the 18-km-long tunnel road in Bengaluru.
The cabinet on June 5, 2025 approved the construction of the north-south tunnel road corridor under the Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) model. Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru in-charge minister DK Shivakumar has been insisting on the project, claiming that it will decongest the city. The first phase will be taken up at a cost of Rs 17,000 crore.
The team recently visited Visakhapatnam to study the New Australian Tunnelling Method (NATM) that is being used by the NHAI to build the 464-km tunnel road reaching Raipur. The BBMP team is going next to Kashmir to understand the tunnel projects there.
'We went to Vizag to understand NATM, the land required and the time it takes as compared to other regular methods. The existing technology used by BMRCL cannot be adopted for the road project as the diameter of the tunnel boring machine for the Metro rail project is 5.6 metre, while the road project requires at least 14.6 metre,' BBMP Chief Engineer BS Prahalad told TNIE.
Understanding different models is essential when executing the project in Bengaluru, where land acquisition and cost is a concern, he said. 'We need to understand each of the tunnelling methods before coming to a conclusion. So far nothing has been finalised,' he added.
The visits and the preparatory work is going on at a time when citizens and experts have demanded that the project be dropped and the public transport system be strengthened. They pointed out that what is being done in other cities cannot be replicated here without a thorough analysis. BBMP sources said that instead of studying the technology, the engineering team should look at the feasibility and requirements of other cities and compare them to Bengaluru. But that is not being done, they added.
Prof Ashish Verma, a mobility expert from IISc, said, 'Studies and various models prepared by us have shown that public transport is better when compared to the tunnel road. It is not a feasible project in the long run.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
9 minutes ago
- Time of India
Rapido's food delivery entry unlikely to dent duopoly, say brokerages
Rapido's foray into food delivery through a pilot in Bengaluru is unlikely to materially disrupt the entrenched duopoly of Zomato and Swiggy, multiple brokerages said in separate notes, citing the operational complexity, capital intensity and customer experience challenges inherent to the business. TOI reported on Monday, Bengaluru-based Rapido is currently preparing to launch its food delivery service with a fundamentally different pricing structure, choosing flat fees over traditional percentage commissions charged to restaurants. The move positioned the ride-hailing firm as a challenger to Zomato and Swiggy at a time when small restaurant owners are increasingly vocal about rising aggregator costs. Rapido plans to charge a fixed Rs 25 on food orders below Rs 400 and Rs 50 for those above. These charges are flat fees deducted from the order value, paid by the restaurant to Rapido. Bernstein's Rahul Malhotra noted that while Rapido plans to leverage its over 3 million rider base and charge lower take rates, 'new entrants have been unsuccessful in the past.' Malhotra cited prior attempts by Amazon, Ola and ONDC that failed to scale due to limited restaurant selection, fragmented supply, and weak customer experience. He added that India's food delivery market, dominated by Zomato and Swiggy with 54 per cent and 46 per cent market shares respectively, has become operationally complex with over 200,000 to 300,000 restaurants, posing high barriers to scale for new players. Elara Capital's Karan Taurani acknowledged Rapido's cross-utilisation model, where its rider network may reduce incremental capital expenditure. However, Taurani warned that 'the absence of a dedicated fleet may compromise the delivery experience, especially with rising sub-30 minute delivery expectations.' Elara's sensitivity analysis suggested that even a moderate impact from Rapido could lead to a 6 per cent cut in the target price of Eternal (Zomato), should revenue growth or valuation multiples weaken due to pricing pressures. HSBC analysts Yogesh Aggarwal, Prateek Maheshwari and Sagar Desai pointed out that while the underlying cost structures of two-wheeler ride-sharing and food delivery are similar, scaling food delivery demands sustained execution. They argued that "customer experience, ability to execute, and achieving scale remain key challenges" for Rapido. The analysts also flagged that long-term industry growth is already moderating, with most of the incremental demand expected to come from higher order frequencies rather than significant customer base expansion. Kotak Institutional Equities, in its sector alert, described Rapido's entry as having 'no immediate impact' on the incumbents. It reiterated that Zomato and Swiggy have built significant operational moats in logistics, customer loyalty, and dense restaurant partnerships, making material share shifts unlikely in the near term.
Time of India
9 minutes ago
- Time of India
QSR firms' margins under pressure, food delivery firms show improvement
The Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs) are facing pressure on margins due to factors like inflation, while the food delivery firms have seen improvement in their margins, according to a report. QSR firms have also slowed the pace of store expansion, the report from banking firm BNP Paribas said. Further, the report mentioned that now food aggregators such as Swiggy and Zomato have become larger over the last few years and provided reach to the restaurants smaller than QSR chains. "This, we believe, has resulted in increased competition for the listed QSR companies. Over the last four years, margins of food delivery firms have increased, while QSR margins have remained under pressure," it said. Moreover, online food aggregators have launched their own dark kitchen brands , Bistro and Snacc, respectively, offering 10-15 minute food delivery through dedicated apps. "This intensifies competition in the Indian QSR market , compelling existing players to innovate on speed, menu and delivery efficiency to maintain market share and remain profitable," it said. Amidst continued demand slowdown, QSR companies are refraining from taking any major price hike and focusing on value propositions for customers. "Though discounts are now being customised to target specific customers, the pressure on margins remains due to lower ADS (average daily sales) and rising delivery mix," it said. Moreover, rapid store expansion, coupled with higher operating costs, has kept EBITDA margin expansion at bay. "However, aggregators continue to improve their margins, even as margin pressure on QSR companies persists," it said. Though QSR firms have "incremental positives" such as reduction in income tax and lowering bank interests, which will help to trigger the demand, however, they "have been reluctant to raise prices due to weak demand". "Aggregate sales of Indian listed QSR chains increased by 10 per cent in FY25 vs 9 per cent in FY24. This was well below food delivery firms' gross order value (GOV) growth at 19 per cent in FY24 and 18 per cent in FY25," it said. QSR companies, such as Jubilant Foods, are facing raw material inflation, but due to weak demand, they have been reluctant to raise prices. However, " food delivery margins have improved sharply over FY22-25, indicating better pricing power," it added. In Q4FY25, the QSR companies continued their double-digit revenue growth momentum. Three of the top five listed QSR players delivered double-digit revenue growth, with Jubilant Foods leading at 19 per cent year-on-year. "However, growth was still below the 13 per cent CAGR (compound annual growth rate) achieved over FY20-25. The companies attribute it to a tougher urban consumer demand environment and reduced outside food consumption, but expect it to rebound, led by income tax rate cuts and other government initiatives," it said. PTI
Hans India
11 minutes ago
- Hans India
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Reaction to Ahmedabad Aviation Incident
The recent crash of a London-bound plane carrying many British nationals in Ahmedabad has shocked and saddened many. Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, shared his deep concern over the incident. In a post on X, he said he is being kept informed as the situation unfolds. He expressed his heartfelt thoughts for the passengers and their families during this very difficult time. The tragedy has drawn attention from leaders around the world as rescue and investigation efforts continue. 'The scenes emerging of a London-bound plane carrying many British nationals crashing in the Indian city of Ahmedabad are devastating. I am being kept updated as the situation develops, and my thoughts are with the passengers and their families at this deeply distressing time,' he wrote on his X account.
