Latest news with #TunnelRoad
New Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Citizens say unplanned infra work killing Bengaluru, seek urgent reforms
BENGALURU: Hundreds of people took part in the Bengaluru TownHall, a citizens' collective protest, at Freedom Park on Saturday, opposing the proposed Tunnel Road project, the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act (GBGA) and amendments to lake buffer zones. The collective demanded better public transport, implementation of the 74th Constitutional Amendment and stronger protection of Bengaluru's fragile ecosystems. The protesters warned that the city is collapsing under the burden of unplanned development, environmental destruction and governance failures. They alleged that the Karnataka government is ignoring constitutional mandates, bypassing due process, and pushing arbitrary non-plan projects that threaten the city's future. 'GBGA overturns the 74th CAA and the state government is taking charge of the city in violation of the Constitution. Due process is being bypassed for projects like the tunnel road, which has not been approved by the MPC or BMLTA. In fact, BMLTA has disapproved of it as being against mobility goals. Under the Act, taking up projects without BMLTA approval is punishable. Further, citizens have been disempowered under GBGA by giving councillors veto power over ward committees and by abolishing area sabhas that allowed residents to participate in planning their neighbourhoods,' said Kathyayini Chamraj, Executive Trustee of CIVIC Bangalore. Sandeep Anirudhan from Citizens' Agenda for Bengaluru criticised the state government's proposal to reduce buffer zones of lakes. Stressing their ecological importance, he warned that without protecting lakes, wetlands and green cover, the city faces collapse. He added that the government has ignored the Constitution by failing to provide a metropolitan planning authority, a proper master plan, and devolved urban governance.
New Indian Express
18-07-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Tejasvi Surya invites DyCM DK Shivakumar for debate on Tunnel Road
BENGALURU: Amid growing debate surrounding the proposed Tunnel Road Project championed by Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya on Thursday publicly invited the former for an open discussion on the project's technical feasibility and public impact. Taking to social media, Surya said, 'If you truly welcome technical scrutiny and public debate on this Tunnel Road project, I propose an open discussion with DCM DK Shivakumar who is spearheading this project. Let the time and place be of your choosing.' Stressing the importance of a transparent discussion, Surya added, 'It will definitely be beneficial to discuss the merits and demerits in a healthy way. Am waiting to hear back from you.' Shivakumar also holds the Benglauru Development portfolio. The Congress, meanwhile, reiterated its support for the tunnel initiative, calling it a transformative step to address Bengaluru's mobility challenges in an earlier post. 'This isn't about political credit. It's about Brand Bengaluru,' the party said, stressing the need for cooperation between the state and central governments. It welcomed scrutiny but warned against politicising infrastructure efforts, saying 'citizens deserve efficient execution, not polarised discourse.' Surya has been a vocal critic of the project since its inception and has called it a 'vanity scheme' catering to elite residents from Koramangala and Sadashivanagar, arguing it diverts attention from more inclusive mobility solutions such as Metro expansion, suburban rail, and bus connectivity. He also raised serious concerns about the project's massive cost pegged at Rs 18,500 crore for just 18 km.
Indian Express
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Tunnel road will serve only the millionaires of Sadashivanagar and Koramangala: MP Tejasvi Surya
Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya came down heavily on Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar Monday, criticising the proposed Tunnel Road project as an unscientific and elitist initiative that sidelines the needs of the common man. Addressing a press conference, Surya said the Congress-led state government was pushing through a vanity project that would serve only the wealthy residents of neighbourhoods like Sadashivanagar and Koramangala, instead of investing in robust public transport solutions that would benefit the majority of Bengalureans. 'When the DCM himself says even God can't solve Bengaluru's traffic issues, he is only exposing his own failure to govern. Bengaluru needs competent leadership, not divine intervention,' Surya remarked. 'This tunnel road, planned from Hebbal to Silk Board, is a project meant for the rich, paid for by the rest of us.' The MP raised serious concerns over the credibility of the Tunnel Road project's feasibility study and Detailed Project Report (DPR). He claimed that the Rs 9.5 crore DPR included content allegedly copied from an earlier BMRCL DPR that cost only Rs 1.6 crore. 'Shockingly, the report mentions traffic volumes in Malegaon and Nashik—cities nowhere close to Bengaluru—suggesting it was copy-pasted from a completely unrelated study,' he said. Surya also flagged the background of the consultants involved. He pointed out that one of the firms behind the feasibility study—part of a joint venture between Lion Consultants and Altinok—has been blacklisted in Madhya Pradesh over a National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) project. Meanwhile, Rodic Consultants, who prepared the DPR, were reportedly linked to a Rs 500 crore scam in Jammu & Kashmir. He further alleged that the project was moving ahead without mandatory clearance from the Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA), violating Section 19 of the BMLTA Act. Calling on the state government to shelve the tunnel road proposal, Surya said public transport must be prioritised instead. 'Bengaluru is the heartbeat of modern India and deserves world-class infrastructure. Before building a 100-km flyover network or an extravagant tunnel, the DCM should first complete the stalled Ejipura flyover and the Hosakerehalli Junction project,' he said. The Karnataka cabinet earlier in June had approved the construction of two major tunnel road corridors in Bengaluru under the Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) model, clearing the way for toll-based road usage. Planned under the BOOT (Build, Own , Operate and Transfer) model, the concession period has been set at 30 years, during which the selected private players will recover their investment through toll collection. Shivakumar also stated that tender works are underway and global tenders will be issued through newspaper notification in the next two-three days. The DPR of Bengaluru's twin-tube tunnel road project between Hebbal and Silk Board Junction has estimated a toll of Rs 330 for a distance of 16.6 km. The project is estimated to cost around Rs 18,000 crore. The North – South Corridor starting from Hebbal Esteem Mall junction to Silk Board KSRP Junction is going to be developed as Underground Vehicular tunnel having three intermediate locations connected via ramps for entry and exit into the Main Tunnel. This alignment will connect the Hebbal and Silk Board Junction and proposed three intermediate ramps at Mekhri circle, Racecourse and Lalbagh directly, therefore reducing travel time from about 90 minutes to 45 minute and easing congestion on the route.
