BENGALURU: Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya has submitted formal objections to the Draft Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA) Rules, 2025, and has sought the removal of Rule 24 from the final notified rules, through a letter to the Urban Development Department (UDD) on Wednesday.
The draft BMLTA Rules, notified in the Karnataka Gazette on January 3, introduce a ‘savings’ clause under Rule 24. This provision exempts previously announced large-scale infrastructure projects from requiring approval of the BMLTA, thereby potentially allowing proposals such as the Tunnel Road project to be deemed approved without institutional scrutiny.
Expressing serious concern over the provision, Surya stated that, “This (Rule 24 savings clause) is nothing but a dangerous attempt by the Congress-led state government to retrospectively rubber stamp the Tunnel Road project and other works to the tune of Rs 1 lakh crore. Developmental works are indeed essential for the progress of Bengaluru but the BMLTA Rules cannot be a tool to bypass scrutiny and erase accountability.”
In addition, as per law, the subordinate rules cannot override the principal legislation, he pointed out. “These rules are also illegal since subordinate legislation cannot override the principal act. Through these rules, the Congress attempts to prematurely kill the act - the primary reason for our opposition to it,” he added.
Stressing the original intent behind the legislation, Surya noted that the BMLTA Act was enacted in 2022 by the BJP Government to ensure transparency, institutional oversight and structured planning in Bengaluru’s urban mobility ecosystem. He said the draft rules, particularly Rule 24, undermine the very purpose of the law and weaken an institution meant to function in the larger public interest.
Surya also urged that other citizens submit their objections in the timeframe provided by the Government of Karnataka.