BBMP to float tenders by February end to build tunnel roads in Bengaluru

During the two-hour-long meeting with BBMP officials, D K Shivakumar reportedly set the February-deadline to float tenders. 'We have announced several infrastructure projects but none of them have taken off in the last one year,' he said, clearly unhappy with the pace of work.

Bengaluru: After three financial institutions came up with an offer to provide a Rs 8,000 crore loan, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) decided to float tenders for constructing a 16.5-km tunnel road connecting Central Silk Board and Hebbal.

Karnataka Deputy CM D K Shivakumar claimed the project, costing about Rs 17,780 crore, will be completed in three-and-a-half years. 

During the two-hour-long meeting with BBMP officials, Shivakumar reportedly set the February-deadline to float tenders. “We have announced several infrastructure projects but none of them have taken off in the last one year,” he said, clearly unhappy with the pace of work.

Reacting to the opposition to the project including Bengaluru Central MP P C Mohan’s letter, the deputy chief minister said the project does not require land acquisition.

“No one’s land will be lost because of this. It will go underground,” he said. He, however, did not comment on the concerns shared by mobility experts, including Dr Ashish Verma of Indian Institute of Science (IISc), who have cautioned the government against tunnel roads which have a short shelf life compared to public transport systems.

Officials said tenders for the north-south corridor, which passes via Mehkri Circle and Lalbagh, will be floated first as the detailed project report is already in place. In the second phase, a tunnel road is proposed between KR Puram and Nayandahalli, called east-west corridor. Both the projects are estimated to cost Rs 50,000 crore. 

The BBMP has held no public consultation on the project but the proposal did attract criticism after the civic body uploaded the infrastructure proposals on its website.