India's most expensive road? Tejasvi Surya slams ₹18,500 cr tunnel plan in Bengaluru as ‘corruption project'
₹ 18,500 crore underground tunnel network project in Bengaluru has intensified, with experts calling for development of sustainable mass transit systems instead. (Representational image)(unsplash)
ALSO READ | Bengaluru vs Singapore: Zoho's Sridhar Vembu on what it takes to make Indian cities livable
Surya alleged the tunnel is a vanity scheme meant to benefit just 10 per cent of car-owning elites in posh areas like Sadashivnagar and Koramangala, while 90 per cent of Bengalureans continue to struggle with inadequate public transport. 'This is perhaps only going to benefit the crorepatis of Sadashivnagar & Koramangala 4th block & not the common man,' he wrote.
ALSO READ | Bengaluru tunnel road between Hebbal and Silk Board to be toll-based, says DK Shivakumar
One of his key allegations were that the tunnel road network would serve fewer people. IISc data shows a metro can carry over 25,000 people per hour, while the proposed tunnel serves only 600 to 1,600 people an hour, he wrote in a social media post on X.
ALSO READ | Tunnel vs transit: Bengaluru's infrastructure debate on social media heats up amid traffic woes
He also termed the feasibility report as 'bogus', claiming that the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) - the city's civic administrative agency - allegedly spent ₹9.5 crore on a feasibility study riddled with 'irregularities' — including outdated photos and even references to traffic data from Maharashtra.
He then called on the outrageous costs, saying that the underground project would be more expensive than the Mumbai Coastal Road, Atal Tunnel, and even the Bengaluru–Mysuru Expressway, priced at ₹18,500 crore for just 18 km. 'Will they build it with golden bricks?' he wrote.
See his post here:
Calling it a 'vanity project', Surya vowed to oppose the plan in courts, streets, and Parliament, demanding investment in mass transit solutions instead.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
12 minutes ago
- Mint
‘Loktantar' or ‘Loktantra'? Did INDIA bloc fumble on Hindi word for Democracy? Here is what we know
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday attacked the Congress party-led INDIA bloc opposition for misspelling the Hindi word 'loktantra' for democracy in their protest posters. The Opposition members were seen holding up posters criticising the state of democracy during the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament. But the word 'loktantra' (democracy) was mistakenly written as 'loktantar,' drawing quick ridicule from BJP leaders. BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya pointed out the error, saying, " It's Loktantra, not Loktantar." The BJP also shared the poster with a spelling error on its X handle. The jibe came as opposition MPs, including Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, staged a demonstration at Parliament's Makar Dwar over the issue of the Special Intensive Revision of Electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar. "Can't blame Congress. They can neither spell nor save Loktantra. they believe in Parivar Tantra and Emergency. Surely they can spell and save that," BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said. The apparent spelling error unleashed a debate on social media over the correct spelling of the word Loktantra The apparent spelling error unleashed a debate on social media over the correct spelling of the word Loktantra A user said there was nothing wrong with the spelling and it was like people spell 'Satyendar' differently, sometimes as Satyendra too. 'It is Adope unsupported font issue. College mein bahut hota that,' said a social media user. Can't blame Congress. They can neither spell nor save Loktantra. A Hindi language expert said the word was grammatically correct as it would also be pronounced as 'Loktantra'. 'Bas humare yahan Loktantra ko raise likhne ki parampara nahi hai. (It may be traditionally incorrect. But the pronunciation remains the same),' the expert said.
Indian Express
12 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Why Congress raising its pitch on J&K statehood has irked National Conference: ‘Nothing less than sabotage'
The Congress's sudden announcement last week of protests in Jammu, Srinagar, and New Delhi seeking the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood has not gone down well with ally National Conference (NC), with several leaders in the Omar Abdullah-led party labelling it a sabotage of its own efforts. The J&K Congress's announcement coincided with the joint letter that Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, the Leaders of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, respectively, wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 16, demanding that a law be brought in the Monsoon Session of Parliament to restore J&K's statehood. 'This is nothing less than sabotage,' said an NC leader. 'For six years, they were silent about our plight, fearing it would hit their prospects in the elections. For nine months (since the formation of the government) we have been fighting for statehood and they have remained silent. Now that they have developed a sudden interest in statehood. What else can it be but sabotage?' Since returning to power in a landslide win last year, the NC has limited its demand to the return of statehood rather than pushing for the reinstatement of Articles 370 and 35A. This has divided the NC itself, with leaders such as Srinagar MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi criticising what they see as a climbdown by the party. However, the NC leadership led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah opted for a more practical and realistically achievable goal rather than antagonise the BJP-led Central government. This section of pragmatists in the party believes their approach is working and is hopeful that the Centre will soon decide on the statehood question. This is why these NC leaders believe that the Congress is either trying to take credit for their party's work or foil any possibility of return to statehood. 'We fail to understand the logic behind this campaign at this point,' said an NC leader. 'The common sense is that the Modi government is not going to buckle under pressure, or at least they will not let it be perceived that they have come under pressure. In this context, the Congress campaign will only create hurdles rather than facilitate it (return of statehood).' Another leader wondered if the Congress had received any feelers about the restoration of statehood and wanted to take the credit for themselves. The CM, too, did not hide his frustration about his ally's actions, saying on Tuesday, 'We passed a resolution for it (statehood) in the very first Cabinet meeting and later in the Assembly. It is good that Congress is finally remembering this issue after a long time. But if they need our support, they should first talk to us.' The CM said Congress had not reached out to the NC. 'We only read about these things in newspapers. No one reached out to us. Even during the recent INDIA bloc meeting, there was no mention of these things. Had they informed us, we would have joined.' Congress leaders said they do not require anybody's permission before undertaking any political activity. 'What can the NC tell us? Whether it is Article 370, 35A or statehood, it was the Congress's gift to Kashmir. It is the Congress's responsibility to get back statehood for Jammu and Kashmir. National Conference doesn't look beyond the power binary. For them, the chair is everything,' said one leader. Another Congress functionary said it was incorrect to say the party was silent on the issue for the last nine months. 'We are a national party and we have to follow the central command. Rahul ji and Kharge ji wrote to the Prime Minister. What else could we have done? Once the central command made a decision, the J&K unit followed.' Though the Congress and the NC jointly contested the Assembly elections, the alliance has seen friction from day one. Leaders in both parties were against any pre-poll alliance and following the NC's win and the Congress's failure to make a mark, the latter stayed out of the government. Since then, there has been little bonhomie between the allies, and now the latest flashpoint threatens to pull them in different directions.
The Hindu
12 minutes ago
- The Hindu
100% proof of ECI allowing cheating, will not allow poll body to get away with it: Rahul Gandhi
The Congress has "concrete 100% proof" that the Election Commission allowed cheating in a constituency in Karnataka, Rahul Gandhi said on Thursday (July 24, 2025) and warned the poll panel that it will not get away with this "because we are going to come for you". Mr. Gandhi alleged that the Election Commission is not functioning as the Election Commission of India, and is "not doing its job". Asked about the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav's reported remarks that the option of boycotting Bihar Assembly polls was open, Mr. Gandhi told reporters that his party has "concrete 100 per cent proof" of the Election Commission allowing cheating in a seat in Karnataka. "Not 90%, when we decide to show it to you, it is a 100% proof," the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said. "We just looked at one constituency and we found this. I am absolutely convinced that constituency after constituency this is the drama that is taking place. Thousands and thousands of new voters, how old are they? -- 45, 50, 60, 65, thousands and thousands of them in one constituency. This is one thing, voter deletion, voter addition, new voters who are way above 18 (is going on)... so we have caught them," he said. "I want to send a message to the Election Commission — if you thing you are going to get away with this, if your officers think they are going to get away with this, you are mistaken, you are not going to get away with this because we are going to come for you," Mr. Gandhi told reporters in Parliament House premises. The Congress leader on Wednesday alleged that elections are being "stolen" in India and claimed that his party has figured out the modus operandi of the "votes theft" by studying a Lok Sabha constituency in Karnataka. Gandhi said he would put before the people and the Election Commission in black in white on how the "theft of votes" is being done. His remarks came after it emerged that during house-to-house visit in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral roll in Bihar, poll officials have so far found that more than 52 lakh voters were not present at their addresses. The opposition has been protesting in both houses of Parliament against the SIR, alleging that the EC's exercise was aimed at disenfranchising voters in Bihar ahead of the assembly elections.
