Experts object to Rs 1,385-crore spend on 2.2-km tunnel at Bengaluru's Hebbal.
Bengaluru: To justify building a short tunnel at Hebbal for Rs 1,385 crore, Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Ltd (B-SMILE) stated in its detailed project report (DPR) that the larger 16.74-km Hebbal–Central Silk Board tunnel road would take nearly a decade to complete due to its scale and complexity.
This contrasts B-SMILE's earlier commitment in its Rs 9.5-crore DPR, approved by the state government in May, which projected that the 16.74-km tunnel road would be completed in four years, by 2031.
Rodic Consultants, a New Delhi-based private agency responsible for the DPR, proposed four cost estimates aimed at expediting tunnel work on the North–South corridor.
The first option involved six tunnel boring machines (TBMs) to construct 1.08 km of tunnel, with a timeline of 62 months and a project cost of Rs 15,548 crore. The fourth option suggested using eight fast-moving TBMs to finish the work in 26 months, though the cost would rise to Rs 17,780 crore.
The government selected the fourth option, the most expensive but also the fastest, enabling completion within four years from tendering to launching the TBMs.
Despite these ambitious timelines, the government commissioned the same agency to draft another DPR for a short tunnel on the northern stretch of the longer tunnel road.
The DPR stated: "For immediate congestion relief at Hebbal, a short-span underpass is proposed near Baptist Hospital and the airport-bound carriageway, enabling smoother directional flow and reduced load on the main flyover."
"This is akin to adding more fuel to the traffic fire," said Satya Arikutharam, an independent mobility consultant. “The congestion fire will rage brightly at Mehkri Circle, just like what happened when the short loop from the KR Puram side at Hebbal Junction became operational recently.”
He further alleged that the DPR started with a pre-decided short-tunnel solution and then attempted to justify its need.
“Not only will this sow more chaos at Mehkri Circle, but it also worsens local traffic — the very issue it claims to address.”
He questioned why the government drags its feet on three metro projects: one under construction, another approved, and a third stalled, allegedly over bloated cost estimates.
The plan shows the short tunnel alignment crosses a railway line, intersects the Outer Ring Road, extends into the lake buffer area, and then merges with the service road. The area is one of the low-lying parts of Bengaluru, which is expected to complicate construction further.