Ready for a debate on Bengaluru Tunnel Road: D K Shivakumar

Bengaluru: Following a scathing attack by the BJP on the proposed Tunnel Road in the city, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday expressed his willingness to debate at length and justify the need for the project.

The BJP has warned the Congress government of staging demonstrations in all 28 Legislative Assembly constituencies in the city to protest the Tunnel Road project.

The deputy chief minister, who holds the Bengaluru Development portfolio, however, maintained that the Tunnel Road was the only long-term solution to the problem of traffic congestion in the capital.

Pointing to the prohibitive costs involved in road widening projects, Shivakumar said, “It costs Rs 3 lakh crore just to acquire land. We need Rs 3,000 crore just to acquire land around Palace Grounds for road widening. Imagine the amount of money that we would need to execute a project on the scale of the tunnel road on the city’s roads.”

Taking aim at the previous dispensations in the state, Shivakumar said, “Had the previous governments invested a little more towards the development of double-decker roads alongside the Metro lines, we could have thought of other solutions. But given the lack of alternative solutions, the government has no option but the Tunnel Road project. The state government has decided to create a double-decker system along all future Metro routes, and build additional road infrastructure to ease traffic congestion.”

Facing flak for his “Even God can’t solve Bengaluru’s traffic problem”, the deputy chief minister said, “The state government has plans that include developing roads in buffer zones of stormwater drains, constructing flyovers and bridges. But these solutions take time, and cannot be accomplished with the wave of a magic wand.”

“Once completed in a phased manner, congestion will be reduced, but if the BJP wants to oppose all development projects, just as it did with the Steel Bridge, they will be answerable to the people. If they want a debate on this subject during the Budget Session, I am ready to provide a detailed reply,” he said.