Bengaluru, 28 Oct

Bengaluru South BJP MP Tejasvi Surya on Tuesday met Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and suggested scrapping the proposed Tunnel Road project in Bengaluru. He advocated for the expansion of Metro and suburban rail networks to ease congestion.

Describing the hour-long meeting with Shivakumar, who also holds the Bengaluru portfolio, as "very productive".He presented the KPCC President with an Alternative Sustainable Mobility Action Plan.

"We discussed in detail how expanding public transport is the only sustainable way to ensure effective commute and mobility in the City. I have requested that the amount of money proposed to be spent on the car-only tunnel project be diverted towards Metro. The goal of our policy should be to move more people rather than more cars," Surya told reporters.

Shivakumar, however, has maintained that the proposed tunnel road — from Silk Board to Hebbal —would "transform mobility"16.75km signal-free tunnel will allow commuters to bypass 25 traffic bottlenecks, saving 45 minutes daily, he said. The route would also provide direct access to the City’s IT corridor. He had earlier said “only God can stop him” from building the tunnel road.

Citing the government's own Detailed Project Report (DPR), Surya claimed that 1,800 vehicles could travel per hour in each direction through the tunnel.

"But if the same effort is made to build a metro or MRTS line, close to 69,000 people can be transported per hour in the same direction," the MP said.

"I have proposed that on Outer Ring Road, which is the most congested stretch, we have two metro stations at either end, KR Puram and Silk Board. Between these, if dedicated loop buses run every five or 10 minutes on exclusive lanes, it will ease the traffic," he said.

Later, Shivakumar said, “We have no objection to expanding the metro. I will discuss his suggestions with officials."

"He (Surya) also proposed allowing private buses and mini-buses in Bengaluru. But the number of vehicles on City roads is already high. If we permit more private buses, what benefit will that bring?" he added.

Shivakumar also said MPs should join him in meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to seek central funds for the state.

"He (Surya) suggested 70 per cent public transport on the ORR, implementation of BRTS (Bus Rapid Transit System), and an increase in suburban trains. I agreed and said, 'Fine, let's go to the Centre and ask for funds'," he said.

NO TREES WILL BE CUT IN LALBAGH

The State government told the Karnataka High Court that no trees will be cut for the tunnel road, Surya said.  Surya, who is representing actor and activist Prakash Belawadi in the case, said that the matter has been posted for 9 Dec.