GSI report of tunnel project impact on Bengaluru's Lalbagh by April 21

Bengaluru: The Geological Survey of India (GSI) on Thursday confirmed that the expert committee is currently evaluating the potential impact of the proposed underground tunnel project on the iconic Peninsular Gneiss monument at the Lalbagh Botanical Garden.

Speaking at a meeting with citizen groups and residents' welfare associations at the GSI office on Thursday, Vijay Vishnupant Mugal, Additional Director General (ADG) and Head of Department, GSI Southern Region, said that the committee is expected to submit its technical findings to the Central government by April 21.

The meeting comes in the wake of mounting pressure from environmentalists and citizens who fear that any subterranean construction could irreparably damage the 3,000-million-year-old rock formation, a designated National Geological Monument.

Addressing the concerns, Mugal said that the GSI is treating the matter with the highest gravity. "This committee was constituted by the Director General of GSI following requests from local representatives and the MP. Our engineering geologists are among the world's best. Once the GSI stamps a report, its technical validity is beyond question," Mugal said.