Car-centric tunnel road proposal ignores Bengaluru's real needs, rue citizens
Bengaluru: The controversial tunnel road project proposed to connect Hebbal with Silk Board Junction has sparked widespread backlash, with critics accusing the govt of prioritising the car-centric elite over the city's real and urgent infrastructure needs.
They say the underground toll road's objective of decongestion is quixotic as it seeks to exclude two-wheelers and autorickshaws.
Bangalore Central MP PC Mohan, in a sharp critique posted on X, questioned the rationale behind the mega investment and offered an alternative vision for the same amount of public money. While the tunnel road DPR puts the project cost at nearly Rs 16,000 crore, Mohan said it will be closer to Rs 19,000 crore.
He listed a series of socially inclusive and sustainable works that could be wrapped up using that money.
As per the DPR, the toll from Sarjapur/HSR Layout to Hebbal (16.9km) will be Rs 330 and that from Hebbal to Silk Board (16.2km), Rs 320. Shorter drives like Mehkri Circle-Seshadri Road (4.9km) will cost Rs 95. The pricing is likely to rise by the time the tunnel becomes operational, experts point out.
"BBMP's proposed tunnel road isn't free," said Satya Arikuthamaran, an urban transport expert.
"First, it will cost the citizens upfront in the form of Viability Gap Funding (VGF). Next, car users will pay around Rs 18 per kilometre in toll charges. And if the govt later makes the tunnel road toll-free, as was seen in Mumbai, citizens will continue to bear the burden through perpetual maintenance costs. This is not a wise idea.
The govt must drop this and expedite Metro construction."
VGF, essentially a subsidy to private entities, is the money the govt pumps into an infrastructure project to plug the gulf between its cost and poor revenue.
According to Satya, the tunnel road project requires Rs 7,100 crore as VGF to encourage the private sector to participate, and citizens will end up funding a facility that's exclusively built for the benefit of car users.
Construction chaos
Citizen groups have expressed concern not only over the high toll charges but also over the likely delays and construction-related chaos the project will unleash. Rajkumar Dugar, from Citizens for Citizens, said, "These rates, proposed now, will become much higher by the time the tunnel is ready.
They say five years, I say 10. It's a complete waste of money and will cause an immense mess during construction. By then, the patronage will be so poor, and those who supported it won't have the guts or grace to admit their unforgivable blunder.
"
Residents have also criticised the plan for being exclusionary. Prasad N, a senior advocate from Yelahanka, said, "This project seems tailor-made for car owners, while the rest of us, who use scooters, autos, and buses, are completely ignored. It's like Bengaluru's public money is being used to build a private road. Why not invest this money in more Metro coaches or better bus frequency instead?"
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