Student groups hold flash protest in Lalbagh against tunnel road project

The students protestors said the government has not conducted an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study or carried out geological, hydrological and biodiversity studies.

Bengaluru: The All India Students Association (AISA), COLLECTIVE, and FridaysForFuture (Karnataka) held a flash protest in Lalbagh opposing the proposed tunnel road project.

Close to 20 students and activists participated in the demonstration and raised concerns about the project being pushed despite expert warnings, environmental risks and the absence of a transparent public consultation.

“The tunnel is estimated to cost Rs 17,000 to Rs 20,000 crore, making it one of Karnataka’s most expensive transport projects. At a time when metro fares are being raised in the name of fund shortage, this scale of expenditure on a project that will only benefit a small section of people is entirely unjustified,” a statement by the group said.

They said the government has not conducted an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study or carried out geological, hydrological and biodiversity studies. The protestors raised concerns about the damage it will do to ecology.  

“The proposed construction shafts come right below Lalbagh, an irreplaceable historic, ecological and cultural landmark. Large-scale underground drilling will disrupt groundwater flow, destabilise soil layers and worsen flooding. Bengaluru already faces severe drainage problems and this project risks making them worse,” they said.

The protestors said the city needed affordable, reliable, and accessible mobility for all.

“If the government truly wants to reduce Bengaluru’s traffic, this Rs 20,000 crore budget should be spent on strengthening public transport, not on an unnecessary tunnel. Bengaluru has only around 6,000 BMTC buses right now. With this kind of investment, the government could double the number of buses and even make bus travel free for everyone for several years,” said Sushant from AISA.

The protestors demanded that the government immediately halt the tunnel project, make major investment in BMTC buses, provide separate bus lanes with improved frequency and last mile connectivity, expand suburban rail for sustainable connectivity, complete all pending Metro lines before starting new mega-projects and conduct transparent studies and genuine public consultation for all future major infrastructure moves.