PIL against twin tunnel road: Karnataka High Court notice to state, Greater Bengaluru Authority

Bengaluru: The High Court of Karnataka on Thursday ordered a notice to the state government on a PIL petition against the 16.7-km Bengaluru twin tunnel road project.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice CM Joshi also ordered notices to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority, and others, directing them to submit their respective responses.

The petition was filed by Adikesavalu Ravindra, Vinod Vyasulu and NS Mukunda, residents of Bengaluru. They challenged the July 14, 2025, tender notification issued by the state government and the BBMP (now GBA), the feasibility study report of December 2024, and the Detailed Project Reports (DPR) of February and March 2025.

The petitioners claimed that the project, estimated to cost Rs 17,780 crore, has been advanced without lawful appraisal of its economic viability, social impact, and constitutional validity. The authorities concerned have not sought an approval of the Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority and the Bengaluru Metropolitan Planning Committee, making the project constitutionally and statutorily infirm, they said.

The petitioners said the first DPR was submitted in February, while the second in March 2025 was appended along with the tender dossier.

"The impugned project envisages imposition of exorbitant tolls exclusively on cars, while dropping the dedicated bus lanes as mandated in the Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) and privileging private car usage, thereby creating a discriminatory expressway for the elite, which is complete violation of Article 14 of the Constitution of India," the petition said.

The petitioners further noted that the project has deliberately circumvented the mandatory requirement of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and environmental clearance under the Environment (Protection) Act, read with the EIA notification 2006.

The petitioners stated that the project involves massive excavation, construction of shafts and ramps as well as diversion of stormwater drains, all of which squarely fall within the definition of environmental impact.

"The tunnel is restricted to cars and taxis while two-wheelers, autorickshaws and buses are altogether barred. This creates an arbitrary classification among similarly placed urban commuters. It lacks any intelligible differentia that bears a rational nexus to the stated aims of decongestion, safety or cost recovery. Excluding two-wheelers and autorickshaws, which account for a substantial share of peak hour trips, cannot reduce congestion on the network," the petition said.