By Grok News Desk
Bengaluru, October 25, 2025
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Saturday staunchly defended the ambitious ₹18,000 crore underground tunnel road project aimed at alleviating Bengaluru's notorious traffic congestion, while issuing a pointed challenge to BJP MP Tejasvi Surya to come up with a concrete alternative plan. The exchange escalates a months-long controversy over the Hebbal-Silk Board corridor, which critics have slammed as environmentally reckless and technically flawed, threatening the city's fragile ecosystem and heritage sites like Lalbagh Botanical Garden.
Speaking at a public infrastructure review meeting in Vidhana Soudha, Shivakumar dismissed Surya's repeated objections as "empty rhetoric from those who have done nothing for Bengaluru's mobility in a decade." He emphasized the project's urgency, projecting it would slash travel times by up to 70% along the 18-km stretch, benefiting over 5 lakh daily commuters. "This isn't just a tunnel; it's a lifeline for a choking city. If Tejasvi Surya and his party are so opposed, let them table their own blueprint—roads, flyovers, or whatever magic they claim to have," Shivakumar quipped, drawing applause from Congress supporters. "We've invested in studies; now it's time for alternatives, not just protests."
The tunnel, envisioned as a multi-lane subterranean expressway connecting key north-south arteries, has been in the works since early 2025 but hit snags following an expert panel's scathing review of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) in mid-October. The panel flagged "serious flaws," including inadequate geological assessments and potential risks to Lalbagh's aquifers from tunneling vibrations. Surya, the fiery Bengaluru South MP, seized on the report to label the initiative a "copy-paste disaster" and urged a full halt, even directing the Geological Survey of India (GSI) to probe its impact on the garden's fragile geology.
In response to Shivakumar's gauntlet, Surya's office issued a swift rebuttal via social media, accusing the Congress government of "rushing half-baked projects at taxpayers' expense while ignoring public consultations." The MP, who has previously dared Shivakumar to an open debate on the issue, reiterated calls for transparency and suggested reallocating funds to elevated corridors or metro expansions instead. "DKS talks big, but where's the science? We've seen their DPR—it's a sham. Bengaluru deserves better than ecological roulette," Surya posted on X, amassing thousands of likes and shares within hours.
The spat traces back to June when Shivakumar first championed the project as a "game-changer" amid rising commuter fury over gridlocked roads. BJP leaders, including Surya, countered with environmental red flags, highlighting the route's proximity to Lalbagh and potential groundwater disruption in a city already grappling with depletion. A July public standoff saw Surya challenge Shivakumar to a face-to-face debate, which the Deputy CM sidestepped, opting instead for technical revisions. Recent GSI directives and the DPR critique have only intensified the divide, with activists now petitioning the National Green Tribunal for an environmental impact assessment.
Urban planners remain divided. Supporters like the Bengaluru Traffic Police hail the tunnel as essential for a metropolis projected to add 2 million vehicles by 2030, while experts from IISc warn of "unforeseen seismic risks" in the Deccan Plateau's rocky terrain. As the government pushes for Cabinet approval by year-end, Shivakumar announced plans for stakeholder workshops next week, inviting Surya and opposition voices to contribute ideas—provided they back them with data.
With Bengaluru's infrastructure woes at a boiling point—daily losses from congestion estimated at ₹20,000 crore—the tunnel debate underscores deeper political fault lines ahead of local polls. For now, Shivakumar's challenge hangs in the air: alternative or acquiesce? As one commuter put it outside the meeting, "Talk is cheap; just build something that works."
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