BENGALURU: After three failed attempts to find a prospective bidder for the multi-crore tunnel road project, the Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Ltd (B-Smile) on Tuesday said the fourth round of bidding has ended on a ‘positive’ note with big agencies submitting their bids for the project.
Sources from the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) said that big companies like Adani, Tata Group and others have submitted their bids. If all goes according to plan, the ground-breaking ceremony of the project, which is facing criticism from various quarters, will be held in February.
For the Rs 18,000 crore corridor from Esteem Mall near Hebbal in Bengaluru North and Silk Board in Bengaluru South, companies submitted bids online on Tuesday, the last day of bidding. They will hand over hard copies in sealed covers within 24 hours (by Wednesday), which will be opened before a committee.
Fifteen days from Thursday (November 13), qualified bidders will be announced. Later, B-Smile will choose the best bidder after evaluating their technical bids. “After the technical bid qualification, there will be a financial bid, and by December 10, the agencies making the lowest bid will be announced. By January first week, the state government will award the tenders by entering into an agreement with the selected agency. The ground-breaking ceremony for the north-south tunnel is likely in February 2026,” said a top B-Smile official.
“Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar will announce the agency selected for the project,” he added.
Retired civil engineers back tunnel road
While there is widespread opposition to the tunnel road project, a team of civil engineers headed by M Lakshmana, Secretary, Institute of Engineers India (IEI), Karnataka State Centre, has extended support to the project.
“Around 25 engineers who served the government have studied the pros and cons of the project. They all have said the tunnel road will be beneficial to Bengaluru and that it would decongest the city’s traffic,” said Lakshmana. The engineers had gathered at IEI on Tuesday to discuss the project.
“On March 15, chief ministers of different states attended a meeting chaired by Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, who spoke in favour of tunnel road projects,” said Lakshmana, who is also a Congress leader from Mysuru.