BENGALURU: Mocking Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, Bangalore South MP Tejasvi Surya said all these days, he had been under the impression that the proposed Tunnel Road project aimed to solve Bengaluru’s traffic problems, but he has now realised that it is a project to address a social issue. He said his realisation came after Shivakumar defended the project, stating that no one wants to marry a man without a car. He questioned how the project could be a panacea for Bengaluru’s traffic.
On Wednesday, Surya shared a presentation with the media on decongesting Bengaluru and said, “There can be no other example than the Rs 43,000 crore Tunnel Road project in wasting public money. How can an 18-km road solve all of Bengaluru’s traffic problems? No feasibility study was done, and they (government) are not listening to experts.”
Stating that he has put forward scientific solutions to curb the traffic in the city, the MP said, 70 per cent of Bengalureans must travel in public transport, and to achieve this, he has proposed five key solutions -- completing all the existing projects first without any further delay, instead of increasing car traffic, more people must be moved in less time at a lower cost, making public transport the top priority, ensuring that Metro, Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), Greater Bengaluru Authority and all departments work together and build safer footpaths for pedestrians.
In his presentation, Surya said the tunnel road will carry 1,800 passengers per hour in one direction and that the Metro can carry 69,000 per hour in one direction.
He said that the Metro carries 40 times more people than the Tunnel Road project will, for the same investment. Comparing the fares, Surya said one-way toll on the Tunnel Road is Rs 330, while the average Metro fare is Rs 50-60.
Surya said the government itself had stated that after the launch of the Yellow Line, traffic at Silk Board was cut by 37% and questioned “given these figures, should we increase Metro connectivity or build tunnels for car movement”.
He said that Metro, Suburban Rail, buses and trams are crucial for Bengaluru. “With the Tunnel Road project’s amount, we can build 317 km of Metro by 2031,” he said.
Meanwhile, Shivakumar slammed BJP leaders, accusing them of not being concerned about the city’s development.
“Neither I nor Tejasvi Surya are technical experts on Tunnel Road. There is a team of technical experts who are in favour of the project. We have no issues in making the urban rail project as long as he gets funds from the Centre. He can take the help of V Somanna, who is the Union Minister,” he said, responding to a question on Surya’s opposition to the project. Shivakumar said they are doing their work, and people are supporting their initiative. “I am confident it will be implemented,” he said.
