BENGALURU: Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar informed the Legislative Council on Thursday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his recent visit to Bengaluru, directed the state government to submit a formal proposal for the ambitious Tunnel Road Project. The PM’s instruction came after he expressed admiration for the Ragigudda Double Decker Project and encouraged its expansion into a 44-km double-decker corridor for the city.
Shivakumar was responding to BJP MLC CT Ravi’s queries regarding the Tunnel Road Project’s feasibility and alleged discrepancies in its Detailed Project Report (DPR). The DCM stated, "The PM said India is seen through Bengaluru and echoed what former PM Vajpayee has told. Hence we asked him to fund the Tunnel Road Project to which he replied saying give a representation and he shall look into it." He added that the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) would share the project cost equally.
Highlighting Bengaluru’s rapid urbanization, Shivakumar noted that the city’s population has doubled from 70 lakh to 1.4 crore in 25 years, while vehicle numbers have surged to 1.23 crore. "The city has 25 lakh software engineers compared to 13 lakh in California," he said, emphasizing the need for infrastructure upgrades like the Tunnel Road, Double Decker corridors, and buffer zone roads to ease congestion.
The DCM revealed that Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari had advised studying Mumbai’s tunnel projects before finalizing plans. After a 1.6-year review, the government decided to proceed. Defending the higher cost compared to metro projects, Shivakumar clarified, "The DPR cost for Tunnel Road was more compared to Metro was due to increase in diameter and length and present-day situation."
He detailed that the 14-meter-wide tunnel would accommodate three lanes plus an emergency lane, becoming India’s longest upon completion at Rs 770 crore per km. The Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model will see the state contributing 40% and private agencies 60%, with Rs 800 crore allocated for land acquisition. "Judges, officials, and common man from Hebbal surroundings take 45 minutes to reach Vidhana Soudha and Court Surroundings and are suffering daily," he said, defending the project