Karnataka extends deadline for EoI to build 99-km tunnel roads

Anticipated to incur a cost of nearly ₹ 50,000 crore, the government intends to execute the project through a public-private partnership (PPP) model.

Bengaluru: Deputy chief minister (DyCM) and Bengaluru development minister DK Shivakumar on Monday said that only two companies have approached them over the Expression of Interest (EoI) put forth by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) for the construction of the proposed tunnel roads.

Shivakumar announced an extension of the deadline, aimed at boosting participation, particularly from international companies (PTI)

In response, Shivakumar announced an extension of the deadline, aimed at boosting participation, particularly from international companies. “During the discussions with union minister Nitin Gadkari, in order to decongest, they had suggested some ideas like tunnel roads, flyovers and others. I was asked to come up with a master plan for Bangalore City. So, the expression of interest was called after this. We have got two companies who have approached, but we have extended it by two days so that it may be known globally…. We will also call for a global tender,” he said.

This announcement coincided with a day during which a private company conducted a presentation on the project exclusively for Shivakumar. Aecom, an international consultancy firm renowned for its involvement in various tunnel road initiatives globally and its prior preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the elevated corridor network project in 2017, submitted a proposal for the tunnel network endeavour in the previous month.

The project in question remains a contentious one under the Congress government’s purview – the transformation of the envisaged 99-km-long network of elevated corridors that crisscross the city into tunnel roads. Anticipated to incur a cost of nearly ₹ 50,000 crore, the government intends to execute the project through a public-private partnership (PPP) model.

He further added that there should be capacity to allow at least two vehicles to go at the same time. “We have done several discussions to come up with Bangalore city road infrastructure plan which will ease the traffic in the city. We have also taken more than 20,000 recommendations we have received to ease Bengaluru’s traffic and given them to some organisations to compile, study and discuss these recommendations,” he added.

This move triggered a backlash from civic activists and transportation experts, who are branding it as a case of “tunnel vision” and a product of myopia.

Sandeep Anirudhan, a citizen activist, said that the substantial funds earmarked for the tunnel project could be better allocated to establish a comprehensive multi-modal infrastructure for Bengaluru. “This comprehensive plan would encompass mass rapid transit, metro systems, suburban transport, expanded bus services, enhanced first and last-mile connectivity, cycling lanes, pedestrian zones, and more,” he said.

Even as experts have pointed out the failure of the flyover to ease traffic in the city, the minister and the BBMP are preparing to construct seven new flyovers in the city and have allotted a whopping ₹1,650 crore for these seven projects and completing 11 pending flyover projects.

The BBMP will borrow ₹ 770 crore from the Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development and Finance Corporation (KUIDFC) to fund most of the flyovers. The government will provide most of the remaining money. Two of the seven flyovers were announced in the state budget for 2023-23. One of them will connect SMVT railway station to Baiyappanahalli. The other will be an integrated flyover from the Yeshwantpur railway station to New BEL Road. The remaining five were announced in the BBMP budget.

Determined to complete the flyovers announced in the past, the BBMP has set aside ₹ 965 crore for them. To make this possible, it will take a loan of ₹ 770 crore from KUIDFC for the first time. The remaining ₹ 195 crore will come from BBMP’s own resources, BBMP budget said.

However, according to a study done by noted traffic and mobility expert MN Sreehari and his team, despite having 60 fully functional flyovers in the city, the IT hub loses ₹19,725 crore for road users due to delays, congestion, stoppages at signals, interference of slow-moving vehicles with fast-moving, fuel loss, occupants time loss, loss of vehicle time when converted into money based on salary etc.

“The exponential growth of population and their job potential speed could not match with the infrastructural growth that are existing. The gap deficiency has resulted in delays, congestion, higher travel time, and huge economic loss (intangible) in terms of direct and indirect cost,” according to Sreehari and his team.

Sreehari emphasised on the need to plan and construct roads to match the city’s radial, outward, and circumstantial growth. He also suggested supplementing road traffic with metro rail around and as well as linear railway lines along with one or two circular routes. In addition to this, the existing CRS [Commuter Rail System] should also be permitted by Indian railways to support the transportation network of Bangalore, he said in the report.

In order to alleviate traffic, the team suggested the removal of roadside parking, as roads are meant for traffic and footpaths meant for pedestrian walk, legally. “As a transportation expert and practising, preaching and advising, I have failed to show even one road in Bangalore without parking,” Sreehari said.