Bengaluru’s development a threat to environment, says MP Tejasvi Surya

Bengaluru: Bangalore South MP Tejasvi Surya has strongly opposed the proposed 18-km tunnel road project, arguing that the city’s rapid development is coming at the cost of environmental destruction and a worsening climate crisis.

Speaking at the launch of senior environmentalist AN Yellappa Reddy’s book 'Nelagadale Mahatva–George Washington Carver', Surya reiterated his stand against the state government’s Hebbal–Silk Board tunnel project. “I would have opposed the tunnel even if the BJP had proposed it when in power,” he said.

He criticised the alleged lack of due diligence. “There is no environmental impact assessment, no geological study, and no evaluation of the impact on the water table. The government is risking people’s lives to build a road and a few commercial establishments,” he said.

Surya lamented the city’s changing climate, recalling a time when Bengaluru enjoyed “weather conditions comparable to Kashmir in November and December”. He stressed the need to protect the city’s remaining green spaces.

Highlighting that Lalbagh — home to 3,500 species of flora and fauna — and Cubbon Park are now among the last major green lungs, he said, “After Independence, we failed to create such new spaces, and today we are struggling to protect what remains.”

Yellappa Reddy echoed this sentiment, calling Lalbagh “the best biological garden in the world”. Both speakers urged citizens to recognise their responsibility in safeguarding the environment.