‘Lalbagh in danger’: Bengaluru tunnel road project draws fire from BJP leader R Ashoka

Tunnel road endangers Lalbagh Botanical Garden: Karnataka LOP Ashoka

Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, R Ashoka, has accused Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar of endangering Bengaluru’s historic Lalbagh Botanical Garden with what he described as a “reckless” tunnel road project.

The Lalbagh Botanical Garden in Bengaluru (Hemant Mishra/ Mint/ Hindustan Times Media)

In a social media post titled “Lalbagh in Danger – Courtesy DCM DK Shivakumar’s Tunnel Madness!”, Ashoka claimed that the ₹26,000 crore tunnel project threatens to destroy the city’s green landmark.

“Bengaluru’s pride, Lalbagh Botanical Garden, our city’s green lungs and a living heritage, is now under grave threat,” he wrote, using hashtags #SaveLalbagh and #CongressFailsBengaluru.

Check out his post here:

The BJP leader alleged that the proposed tunnel road would result in the loss of nearly six acres of Lalbagh land, the cutting of thousands of trees, and irreversible damage to the park’s fragile ecosystem, calling it “one man’s publicity and vanity project.”

Ashoka questioned the state government’s persistence despite objections from experts and civic groups. “When experts, civic groups, and environmentalists have raised red flags, why is the @INCKarnataka government still bulldozing ahead? Why this arrogance and disregard for Bengaluru’s identity and environment?” he asked.

He added that Lalbagh is more than just an open space, describing it as “the city’s soul, our children’s oxygen, and the state’s treasure.” He asserted that no leader has the right to “destroy it for political showmanship.”

Vowing that the BJP will stand with citizens to protect ‘Namma Lalbagh’, Ashoka demanded that the Congress government led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah drop what he called a “disastrous plan.”

Tagging Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, he further questioned whether the party would “speak up for Bengaluru’s environment or stay silent while its own government destroys our green heritage.”

The proposed Bengaluru Tunnel Road Project is designed as a 28-kilometre underground corridor linking Hebbal in the north to Central Silk Board Junction in the south, with multiple entry and exit points, including near Mekhri Circle, Palace Grounds, Lalbagh, and Dairy Circle. The project aims to ease surface traffic congestion across the city.