BENGALURU: The 16.68 km tunnel road between Central Silk Board and Hebbal near Esteem Mall will be built 120 ft below the ground. Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Ltd (B-SMILE), a special purpose vehicle created to execute big-ticket projects in the city, will start the tender process for the much-debated project in a day or two.
B-SMILE Director BS Prahallad said advanced tunnel boring machines will be used for the work. The toll for the road has been fixed at Rs 19 per kilometre. But the toll could vary because of inflation and project cost. “The work is expected to be completed within four years. But everything depends on geological factors. Homes and other structures on the surface will be safe,” he said.
On groundwater supply and borewell points getting impacted due to tunnelling, he said the government has given permission for owners to dig borewells and it does not mean they have a right over it as it still belongs to the government. “Some borewell points may be impacted,” he added.
Tenders will be called in two packages, and files have already been sent to the Finance Department. “The government gave the approval on June 9 and tendering will begin in a day or two,” he said. The cost of the project is estimated to be Rs 42,000 crore, which will include Rs 800 crore for acquiring land.
Experts worried about tunnel road impact
Bengaluru Central MP PC Mohan, in his social media post, lashed out at the Congress government. He posted, “Toll for cars on the tunnel may reach Rs 330. Autos and two-wheelers aren’t allowed. Rs 7,100 cr subsidy plus Rs 10,700 cr loans, all from public funds. Congestion at exits and rising pollution are inevitable. Why fund a 16.75 km tunnel that serves no one at such a high public cost?”
Mohan stated, “Not one PPP investor came forward for BBMP’s Rs 17,780 cr tunnel project. Now, taxpayers will bear a Rs 10,700 cr loan under the State govt’s guarantee. If the project is so viable, why is private capital staying away? There’s no light at the start of the tunnel, forget the end.”
Fracture zone impact
Experts too expressed their concerns, saying natural dykes and fracture zones, which help in water accumulation and get water into borewells, will be impacted.
“Officials have agreed that the project will affect groundwater supply. I don’t know what the government has prepared with the geo-study which involves analysing the earth up to 1 km. Any miscalculation and lack of engineering work will lead to the sliding of the tunnel road. Metro routes may be impacted if underwater changes its route and gushes with extreme force,” said TJ Renuka Prasad, former Prof of Geology, Coordinator Biopark, Bengaluru University.