Tunnel vs transit: Bengaluru's infrastructure debate on social media heats up amid traffic woes
READ | 'Unworkable': Experts on tunnel highway network proposed in Bengaluru to ease traffic congestion
The tunnel road project — estimated to cost ₹19,000 crore — envisions an underground network between Hebbal and Silk Board, intended to ease surface traffic by creating a high-speed corridor exclusively for private vehicles, mostly cars. In contrast, the Namma Metro, along with the long-anticipated suburban rail project, is being pitched by many urban planners and citizens as a more inclusive, sustainable solution to the city's transportation crisis.
READ | 'Bound to fail': Tejasvi Surya slams ₹18,000 crore Congress-backed tunnel project in Bengaluru
Social media took the wheel in looking at the future of mobility in Bengaluru, arguing that the city's focus should be on enhancing public transport instead of creating infrastructure that encourages more private vehicle use.
A resident's post on the issue took the internet by storm, raising the question of both the metro and the tunnel road being built on the same corridor. 'Know this Bengaluru. City can neither afford nor does it makes sense to build both metro and Tunnel Rd on same corridor. Metro serves all. Tunnel Rd? Cars only. Great cities have great metros and aren't car dependent. Stop the Tunnel Road. Complete metro & suburban rail first,' the post read.
READ | ₹19,000 crore loan for tunnel? Bengaluru MP PC Mohan lists 13 better ways to spend the money
The post amassed 17,000 views and over 300 likes. Several users agreed, with one writing, 'Lived in Bengaluru for years. The traffic is already a nightmare. We need mass transit that serves everyone, not just those who can afford cars.'
'We need suburban Rail immediately,' another posted.
On the other hand, some disagreed, with a user replying, 'Have metro above tunnel. Think hybrid design concept.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
34 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Israeli strikes and shootings kill 52 Palestinians in Gaza: Hamas
Israeli airstrikes killed at least 28 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip including four children, while 24 others were fatally shot on their way to aid distribution sites, Palestinian hospital officials and witnesses said on Saturday. The children and two women were among at least 13 people who were killed in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, after Israeli airstrikes pounded the area starting late Friday, officials in Al-Aqsa Martyr's Hospital said. Fifteen others died in Israeli airstrikes in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, according to Nasser Hospital. The military did not immediately respond to The Associated Press' request for comment on the civilian deaths. At least 24 people were killed on their way to a food distribution site near Rafah run by an Israeli-backed American organisation, said hospital officials and witnesses, including those wounded. The Israeli military said it had fired warning shots toward people it said were behaving suspiciously to prevent them from approaching. It added it was not aware of any casualties from the incident. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said no incident occurred near its sites. Israel's offensive, sparked by Hamas' attack on October 7, 2023, has killed over 57,800 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The ministry, which is under Gaza's Hamas-run government, doesn't differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count. The UN and other international organisations see its figures as the most reliable statistics on war casualties. US President Donald Trump has said that he is closing in on another ceasefire agreement that would see more hostages released and potentially wind down the war. But after two days of talks this week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu there were no signs of a breakthrough. Hamas continues to hold some 50 hostages, at least 20 of whom are believed to still be alive. More killings near an American-run aid site The Israeli military said it fired warning shots to disperse a group of people it believed were posing a threat to the troops." The incident occurred in the Rafah area, hundreds of meters (yards) from the food distribution site, it said. The military said it was not aware of any casualties. A GHF spokesperson, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with the group's policies, said, We checked with our extended team and this incident didn't happen near our sites. Witnesses there said they were on their way to the site seeking food and were shot at. Abdullah al-Haddad said he was 200 meters (655 feet) away from an aid distribution site run by the GHF close to the Shakoush area, west of Rafah, when an Israeli tank started firing at crowds of Palestinians. We were together, and they shot us at once, he said, writhing in pain from a leg wound at Nasser Hospital. Mohammed Jamal al-Sahloo, another witness, said the Israeli military had ordered them to proceed to the site, when the shooting started. Sumaya al-Sha'er's 17 year-old son, Nasir, was killed in the shooting near the site, hospital officials said. He said to me, Mom, you don't have flour and today I'll go and bring you flour, even if I die, I'll go and get it,' she said. But he never came back home. Up until then, she said she had prevented the teenager from going to GHF sites because she thought it was too dangerous. But with food supplies running out, she had no choice but to relent. The GHF denies there has been any violence in or around its sites in the past. But two of its contractors told The Associated Press that their colleagues have fired live ammunition and stun grenades as Palestinians scramble for food, allegations denied by the foundation. Witnesses, health officials and UN officials say hundreds have been killed by Israeli fire while heading toward the GHF distribution points through military zones off limits to independent media. The military has acknowledged firing warning shots at Palestinians who it says approached its forces in a suspicious manner. The UN and aid groups say they are struggling to distribute humanitarian aid because of continued Israeli military restrictions and a breakdown of law and order that has led to widespread looting. Military operations in Gaza continue The Israeli military said that over the past 48 hours, troops struck approximately 250 targets in the Gaza Strip, including militants, booby-trapped structures, weapons storage facilities, anti-tank missile launch posts, sniper posts, tunnels and additional Hamas sites. Also on Saturday, the Israeli military announced said there were strict restrictions along the Mediterranean coast, and called on fishermen, swimmers and divers from going to the sea. Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people in their October 7, 2023, attack on Israel and abducted 251. They still hold 50 hostages, less than half of them believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.
Hindustan Times
43 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
KC Venugopal writes to PM Modi to save Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya from execution in Yemen
Congress leader K C Venugopal on Saturday sought the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in saving Kerala-born Nimisha Priya from execution in Yemen. Nimisha Priya is currently being held in Yemen's Sana'a Central Prison.(File) In a post on X, Venugopal said Priya is a victim of "unimaginable cruelty and domestic abuse on foreign soil." "The death sentence against Nimisha Priya is a grave travesty of justice. She is a victim of unimaginable cruelty and domestic abuse on foreign soil, driven to the brink," the Congress general secretary, organisation, said in his post. "I've written to the PM seeking urgent intervention to prevent her execution," he added. The nurse from Kerala is slated to be sent to the gallows on July 16 in Yemen. Also read: Family of Nimisha Priya, on death row, offers $1 million 'blood money' to Yemen man's kin in final hope In his letter to the prime minister, Venugopal said, "While efforts have been made by the Action Council and her family to negotiate with the victim's family to accept 'blood money' (diyah), which could potentially spare her life, these negotiations have faced significant challenges, due to ongoing civil war and other internal disturbances." He urged the PM to intervene with "utmost priority imploring all possible diplomatic measures with the Yemeni authorities" to get the nurse off death row. Nimisha Priya, who hails from Kollengode in Palakkad district of Kerala, was convicted in 2020 for the murder of her Yemeni business partner in July 2017. Last November, Yemen's Supreme Judicial Council rejected her appeal, and the country's public prosecutor ordered that her sentence be carried out on Tuesday. Calls for urgent intervention have grown louder in Kerala against the verdict. Communist Party of India Rajya Sabha MP P Sandosh Kumar on Thursday wrote to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and urged him to use "every possible diplomatic and humanitarian channel" to secure a stay on the nurse's execution Priya is currently being held in Sana'a Central Prison.
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Congress seeks Prime Minister Modi's intervention to save nurse Nimisha Priya
Congress general secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene with Yemeni authorities and save Indian nurse Nimisha Priya, who has been sentenced to be executed in Yemen. 'The death sentence against Nimisha Priya is a grave travesty of justice. She is a victim of unimaginable cruelty and domestic abuse on foreign soil, driven to the brink. She doesn't deserve to die. I've written to the PM seeking urgent intervention to prevent her execution,' Mr. Venugopal said in a post on X on Saturday. The death sentence against Nimisha Priya is a grave travesty of justice. She is a victim of unimaginable cruelty and domestic abuse on foreign soil, driven to the brink. She doesn't deserve to die. I've written to the PM seeking urgent intervention to prevent her execution. — K C Venugopal (@kcvenugopalmp) July 12, 2025 Ms. Priya, who hails from Kollengode in Palakkad district of Kerala, was convicted in 2020 for the murder of her Yemeni business partner in July 2017. In his letter dated July 10 to the Prime Minister, Mr. Venugopal said, 'While efforts have been made by the Action Council and her family to negotiate with the victim's family to accept 'blood money' (diyah), which could potentially spare her life, these negotiations have faced significant challenges, due to ongoing civil war and other internal disturbances.' He urged the Prime Minister to intervene with 'utmost priority imploring all possible diplomatic measures with the Yemeni authorities' to get the nurse off death row. Last November, Yemen's Supreme Judicial Council rejected her appeal, and the country's public prosecutor ordered that her sentence be carried out on July 16. Communist Party of India Rajya Sabha MP P. Sandosh Kumar, on Thursday, had written to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, urging him to use 'every possible diplomatic and humanitarian channel' to secure a stay on the nurse's execution. Ms. Priya is currently being held in Sana'a Central Prison.
