Tumakuru as Bengaluru North? Karnataka Home Minister sparks buzz with proposal

Parameshwara said a plan was ready to provide metro rail connectivity to Tumakuru, and urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar to fulfil this.

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Tuesday signalled its intent to fold Tumakuru into Bengaluru’s expanding urban footprint after Home Minister G Parameshwara pitched his district as ‘Bengaluru North’. 

Parameshwara, who is the minister in charge of Tumakuru, vowed to ensure that his district became a part of Bengaluru. 

“Our Tumakuru district is very close to Bengaluru. It is only 60 km away. My demand is that Tumakuru should become a part of Bengaluru,” Parameshwara said at the Samarpane Sankalpa, the government event to mark Congress completing three years in power held in Tumakuru. 

“Just like Ramanagara was made Bengaluru South, Tumakuru should be declared as Bengaluru North,” Parameshwara insisted. “Going forward, Tumakuru will become a part of Bengaluru and I am making all efforts on this.” 

Parameshwara, who represents Koratagere in Tumakuru, also said a plan was ready to provide metro rail connectivity to Tumakuru, and urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar to fulfil this. 

Parameshwara’s demand found support from Shivakumar, who is also the Bengaluru Urban Development minister. “Parameshwara has said that the only solution to decongest Bengaluru is towards the north by making Tumakuru the second Bengaluru. I want to join hands with [Parameshwara] on this,” he said.  

If Parameshwara manages to prevail over the Cabinet to meet his demand, the government will have to clarify on the nomenclature for Tumakuru. In July 2025, the Cabinet decided to call the Bengaluru Rural district as ‘Bengaluru North’. 

Thanks to road connectivity via NH48, Tumakuru has grown to become an industrial hub over time. Tumakuru is one of the nodes being developed under the Chennai-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor (CBIC). Tumakuru already has a Japanese industrial township at Vasanthanarsapura. 

Parameshwara is also pushing for Tumakuru to get Bengaluru’s second international airport. One of three locations identified for this falls between Kunigal and Nelamangala near Tumakuru. However, there are indications that the government may go for any of the other two locations along Kanakapura Road. 

Meanwhile, the government is finalising a detailed project report (DPR) for the Madavara-Tumakuru metro line. The proposed 59-km metro line is estimated to cost Rs 20,896 crore.

Bangalore Central BJP MP P C Mohan mocked Parameshwara’s proposal to declare Tumakuru as Bengaluru North.

“At this rate, Mangaluru may become ‘Bengaluru Beachfront’, Kalaburagi ‘Bengaluru Far East’, Kodagu ‘Bengaluru Hill Station’ and the entire state ‘Greater Bengaluru Area’,” Mohan said in a tweet.