BJP leaders slam reduced land share for Namma Metro’s Hebbal depot

Bengaluru: BJP leaders, including two Members of Parliament and an MLA, strongly opposed Namma Metro's revised Hebbal depot plan, which reduces land from 45 acres to just nine.

They urged the government to prioritise public transport and resist real estate pressure.

The reaction follows a DH report titled ‘Namma Metro scaled down its Hebbal depot plan from 45 to 9 Acres’, published on Tuesday.

“The systematic destruction of Bengaluru's public transport systems features high on the Congress' governance agenda. Caving in to the real estate lobby, Deputy CM D K Shivakumar is fully compromising an important nodal point that could help ease the traffic mess at Hebbal junction,” Bangalore South MP Tejasvi Surya posted on X (formerly Twitter).

Stating that Bengaluru deserves better, Surya added, “Pressuring Namma Metro to reduce its land requirement reflects how little importance the state government places on public transport and ease of mobility.”

Bangalore Central MP, PC Mohan, also opposed the scaled-down plan, arguing that fewer trains would reduce service frequency, hinder future expansion, create a lack of space for multi-modal integration, lead to poor last-mile connectivity, and sideline the city’s mobility projects.

"Public land is being diverted for profit. Metro land belongs to the people, not the real estate mafia,” he said.

Shobha Karandlaje, Bangalore North MP — under whose constituency the project falls — has, however, remained silent after initially opposing the revised plan.

Rajajinagar MLA S Suresh Kumar called the move the “biggest betrayal” of Bengaluru.

Retired IPS officer Bhaskar Rao, now a member of the BJP, described the decision as “very shortsighted and dangerous” and warned of its long-term consequences. “The government has buckled under the real estate and political lobby to ‘gobble’ this valuable piece of land. This land is badly needed in the public interest for the next generation,” he said.

Aishwarya, daughter of former Union Minister Ananth Kumar, also criticised the Congress government’s approach, saying, “This compromise on public infrastructure does not serve Karnataka’s future. Public transport decisions must be guided by long-term vision — not short-term politics.”