The Bengaluru South MP accused Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar – who has long championed the project and also serves as the Minister in charge of Bengaluru Development – of pushing through the project at enormous public cost.
Published Jun 23, 2025 | 4:33 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 23, 2025 | 4:33 PM
Split into two 8.7-km packages, the tunnel is expected to be completed in 38 to 50 months.
Synopsis: BJP MP Tejasvi Surya strongly criticised the controversial Bengaluru Tunnel Road Project, calling it “unviable” and “unscientific”, and accused the Congress-led state government of undermining public transport in a misguided initiative that is “bound to fail”.
Karnataka BJP leader Tejasvi Surya on Sunday, 22 June criticised the controversial ₹18,000 crore Bengaluru Tunnel Road Project, calling it “yet another instance of Congress Govt systematically destroying public transport in the city.”
“From the word go, the Hebbal–SilkBoard tunnel idea is beset with problems,” the Bengaluru South MP wrote in a post on X, on Sunday, 22 June.
“Consider this. The tunnel road access is going to be only for 4-wheelers with a toll of ₹600 per return journey. DPR was prepared at a cost of ₹9.5 crore by a consultant who was previously blacklisted elsewhere. Even after this exorbitant cost, many parts of the DPR were directly copied from another report.”
The Bengaluru Tunnel Road project is yet another instance of Congress Govt systematically destroying public transport in the city.
From the word go, the Hebbal–SilkBoard tunnel idea is beset with problems.
Consider this.
– The tunnel road access is going to be only for… https://t.co/aXIz6MkWRm pic.twitter.com/RntNLSbEPW
— Tejasvi Surya (@Tejasvi_Surya) June 22, 2025
The Bengaluru South MP further accused Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar – who has long championed the project and also serves as the Minister in charge of Bengaluru Development – of pushing through an “unscientific” and “unviable” project at enormous public cost.
“Tunnel road is an unscientific solution for Bengaluru’s mobility issues & bound to fail at ₹18,000 crore of the taxpayers’ money,” he wrote.
“40 percent viability gap funding: further, the state government will bear an additional ₹7,200 crore to cover the gap between revenue and expenditure of the unviable project.”
He continued:
“Thank you, DK Shivakumar, for neglecting crucial civic issues such as potholes, underfunding public transport, delaying Metro projects, withholding Fare Fixation Committee reports, and pushing forward with an unscientific project.”
Earlier in the day, Shivakumar had asserted that the 16.75-km twin-tunnel road from Esteem Mall at Hebbal Junction to Central Silk Board in HSR Layout was being built with commuters’ time in mind.
“Your time matters. We’re building with you in mind. The Hebbal – SilkBoard Underground Tunnel is set to transform your daily commute,” he wrote in a post on X.
“Skip 25+ traffic bottlenecks. Save 45+ minutes every day. 16.75 km of seamless, signal-free travel. Direct access to the IT corridor. A faster, smarter #Bengaluru is on its way – because you deserve better.”
Your time matters. We’re building with you in mind.
The #Hebbal – #SilkBoard Underground #Tunnel is set to transform your daily commute:
✔ Skip 25+ traffic bottlenecks
✔ Save 45+ minutes every day
✔ 16.75 km of seamless, signal-free travel
✔ Direct access to the IT… pic.twitter.com/1ll4Q8nRkP— DK Shivakumar (@DKShivakumar) June 22, 2025
Surya’s criticism of the North–South Corridor, as the project is officially known, is the latest in a series of sustained backlash from mobility experts, environmentalists and opposition leaders.
A report by Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, submitted to the state government on 5 September 2024 as part of the Brand Bengaluru initiative, warned that the tunnel project could prove disastrous.
The study revealed that area consumed by cars is eight times greater than that consumed by buses and that car-centric infrastructure could worsen traffic rather than relieve it.
It estimated a 2.7 percent increase in vehicle numbers if tunnel roads are constructed, versus a 5.3 percent reduction if investments are directed towards the Metro.
The report also projected significant environmental benefits if the Metro were prioritised: a 14.8 percent drop in carbon dioxide emissions, 18.6 percent reduction in PM2.5, 27.2 percent cut in carbon monoxide, and 11.3 percent reduction in nitrous oxide levels by 2031.
Nevertheless, the project is currently being executed through a Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) model and will cater exclusively to four-wheelers.
Split into two 8.7-km packages, the tunnel is expected to be completed in 38 to 50 months.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
