Tunnel proposed to link K R Puram, Nayandahalli in Bengaluru

Noose around Lalbagh? Two tunnel roads, metro line proposed under lung space.

Bengaluru: Despite criticism surrounding the 16-km tunnel road proposed between Hebbal and Silk Board, Bengaluru’s municipal corporation is moving forward with a similar project, this time a 28-km tunnel road from K R Puram to Nayandahalli.

Based on the initial planning, Lalbagh could either emerge as an engineering marvel or become an ecological disaster, as an underground metro line and two tunnel roads will crisscross under the famed botanical garden, which has a lake and one of the most ancient rock formations.

Last week, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) invited bids from private consultants to prepare detailed project reports (DPRs) for the 28-km tunnel road, 10 flyovers, including one that will be 27 km long. All these proposals were part of the controversial feasibility study, which was prepared at a cost of about Rs 4.5 crore.

This development comes shortly after the civic body prepared the DPR for the Hebbal-Silk Board tunnel road project at a cost of Rs 9.5 crore in just three months, compared to the standard nine months.

By mid-2025, Bengaluru is expected to receive a series of DPRs for 10 flyovers and two tunnel road projects.

The civic body has also proposed double-decker flyovers along metro lines on Magadi Road and the west of the Outer Ring Road. BBMP chief mommissioner Tushar Girinath stated that all these proposals would be implemented in phases, with the target to complete 2-4 projects every year.

“These city-wide projects are necessary to prevent traffic congestion,” he told DH.

“This is going to be the last major infrastructure project for Bengaluru, which will address traffic issues for the next 20 years. By that time, growth in central Bengaluru will slow, shifting to the peripheral areas,” he added.

According to the BBMP’s initial estimates, the total cost for building these road infrastructure proposals (excluding the metro) will be a staggering Rs 94,964 crore.

However, projects such as the Ejipura flyover and the Okalipuram signal-free corridor show that the civic body does not have a history of meeting the deadlines and cost overruns have become common.

Independent mobility consultant Satya Arikutharam criticised the BBMP for “simply not understanding basic public transport principles”.

“The civic body wants to create exclusive car-only north-south and east-west corridors. These are exactly the corridors where a metro line is planned and another metro line is already operational. The tunnel road will be a monumental disaster for Bengaluru’s urban mobility,” he stated. “Unfortunately, the Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA) is dormant, and sustainable mobility lacks an institutional voice.” Bangalore South MP LS Tejasvi Surya called the exercise of preparing DPRs “yet another waste of taxpayers’ money”.

“The project is poorly designed, ill-thought-out, and will not resolve Bengaluru’s traffic crisis. We have already seen how the first DPR, with its inflated costs, fundamental data errors, contextual inaccuracies, and even blatant copy-pasting, provides enough reasons for the project to be scrapped once and for all,” he wrote on X.

He added: “It also fails to align the tunnel road with critical projects like Metro Phases 2B and 3A. The proposed 61-month construction timeline does not take into account the city’s ongoing and planned infrastructure projects, risking significant disruptions in an already congested city due to the dug-up roads. Surya urged the state government to halt this “unscientific” pursuit of the tunnel road for Bengaluru and instead prioritise initiatives that genuinely benefit the city’s residents.