E-Paper
Bengaluru residents move NGT against ₹19,000 crore tunnel road project: Report
Activists in Bengaluru demanded the cancellation of ₹19,000 crore tunnel project over environmental concerns.
A group of Bengaluru residents and civic activists have taken the fight against the proposed Twin Tunnel Road project to the National Green Tribunal (NGT), demanding its cancellation on environmental and legal grounds.
The ₹19,000 crore underground road, planned to run 16.7 km from Hebbal to Silk Board, was pitched by the state government as a fix for Bengaluru’s traffic chaos. But activists said the plan is flawed, rushed and ignores environmental rules and the city’s own mobility plans, according to a report by The Hindu.
ALSO READ | Small buildings up to 1200 sqft in Bengaluru no longer need occupancy certificates: Report
During the first hearing, NGT issued notices to key agencies, including the State Government, State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), Bangalore Smart Infrastructure Limited (B-SMILE), the Union Environment Ministry and the project consultants.
The petition argues that the project was pushed through in the 2024 State Budget without proper studies or public input. They claimed that the Detailed Project Report (DPR) was thrown together in three months, contains errors and lacks critical data like flood risks, biodiversity impact and traffic analysis.
ALSO READ | Three-day disruption in water supply in Bengaluru due to Cauvery maintenance work: Report
They also stated that the tunnel's route is even more worrying. It cuts through ecologically sensitive areas like Lalbagh’s Peninsular Gneiss, Hebbal Valley’s stormwater zone and the already polluted Peenya Industrial Area. The tunnel’s route also overlaps with a planned Metro line, raising questions about why a costlier, less sustainable option is being pursued.
Experts, including from IISc, warned that the project could worsen flooding, hurt groundwater levels and increase air pollution. The petition also accuses the government of bypassing mandatory Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) by exploiting legal loopholes, echoing concerns from the scrapped 2017 steel flyover project.
Petitioners further urged that the NGT to scrap the project, cancel tenders and protect Bengaluru’s fragile environment before it’s too late.
