Karnataka deputy CM DK Shivakumar(L), BJP leader Tejasvi Surya.
Credit: DH File Photo
Bengaluru: In a continued attack against the proposed tunnel road project, Bangalore South MP Tejasvi Surya raised several questions against the project and sought answers from deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar.
Among the major questions raised was the chances of economic division the project could result in since only four wheelers would be allowed to ply through the proposed road.
“Other vehicle owners - Are they not citizens whose taxes would be used for the tunnel’s construction? Is this not a clear case of economic divide?”
Surya also pointed out that only 19% of vehicles in the city were four wheelers and wondered if the government's policies should focus on catering such a small group or to the larger commuting population.
Comparing the tunnel road to the metro project, he questioned the rationale behind prioritising the tunnel project which he described to be 40 times less efficient.
“State Government is providing a ₹7,500 crore Viability Gap Funding (VGF) for the project. This cost is comparable to the entire 19 km Yellow Line built at a cost of Rs 7,610 crore. While the entire Yellow Line is catering to about 80,000-90,000 passengers and expanding with the addition of new metro coaches, the Tunnel Road caters to just about 19% of the city’s population. Given this situation, what solution should be prioritised logically speaking?”
He also demanded answers to questions about the alignment of the project and why an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was not done.
Among other concerns raised were the travel time, project completion time, and increase in choking points.