Bengaluru, July 14 (IANS) BJP National Yuva Morcha President and Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya has charged that the Congress-led government’s Rs 46,000 crore tunnel project is nothing but loot.

Speaking during a press conference held on Monday at the BJP State Headquarters ‘Jagannath Bhavan’ in Bengaluru, he stated, BJP will strongly oppose the tunnel road project, which is nothing but a loot of public money under the guise of development.

This 18-km tunnel road project for Bengaluru, costing Rs 18,500 crore, is planned exclusively for cars from Hebbal to Dairy Circle. The Detailed Project Report and feasibility report are riddled with inconsistencies and irregularities, he claimed.

According to the report, the tunnel can carry only 600-1,600 people per hour. If bikes and two-wheelers are allowed, it could handle about 7,500 people per hour. But if a Metro were built instead, it could carry 25,000 people per hour. “Do we want a project that helps only car owners or a Metro project that benefits 25,000 people per hour?” Surya asked.

The Deputy Chief Minister himself said a toll would be levied on the tunnel. The DPR mentions a one-way toll fee of Rs 660. “How many people in Bengaluru can afford to pay Rs 660 daily to commute?” he asked.

The plan allows no access for buses, autos, or two-wheelers — only cars. “This is a tunnel for the crorepatis of Sadashivanagar, Dollar’s Colony, and 4th Block, Koramangala. It seems tailor-made to help D.K. Shivakumar and his close relatives travel to their homes in Koramangala,” he alleged.

Surya stated, “BJP opposes the tunnel road project. We will fight to ensure that every single rupee of the people is protected.”

He alleged that the DPR and feasibility report of the tunnel road project are flawed and have been prepared by a blacklisted consultant. He further said that this tunnel project is merely a scheme to benefit Congress party cronies.

“We have begun raising public awareness through the media today. In the coming days, all BJP MPs, MLAs, the state president, and leaders from Bengaluru will discuss the matter. We are considering legal action and public campaigns. This is a massive scam involving public money,” he charged.

The BJP leader alleged that the DPR was copied and pasted from the Bengaluru Metro project, for which BBMP had spent Rs 9.5 crore.

“They seem to think Karnataka’s people are fools. They’ve cited Nashik and Malegaon as examples in the report. Is it not disgusting to waste people’s money on such stupidity?” he asked.

Tejasvi criticised the state government for bypassing the DMLTA (Draft Metropolitan Land Transport Authority) Act, which is necessary to undertake such a big project to prevent corruption.

“Even though the Act exists, they have prepared a project report and are going ahead with tenders,” he said.

The inclusion of a “Neo-Bus” system in the project was mocked by him. “What is this Neo-Bus? Will it run on the ground or in the sky?” he questioned.

He said the DPR was not made public and claimed that the DPR was prepared even before the feasibility report. He alleged that the feasibility report even suggested who should be appointed as the DPR consultant, which raises concerns.

“Due to a lack of proper public transport, 72 per cent of people still travel to the airport in private vehicles,” he said.

“We had proposed a comprehensive traffic management plan in 2020. The report stated that Bengaluru needed 16,580 buses. Today, there are only about 6,000. There’s a shortage of over 9,000 buses. Yet the government is doing nothing,” he alleged.

He added that by 2031, Bengaluru should have 317 km of Metro lines, but currently, there are only 78 km. The Yellow Line has been ready for four years but hasn’t been opened for operations, he pointed out.

“By 2031, the suburban railway network should be 148 km. But the four-corridor project has been stalled. The Deputy Chief Minister has promised 100 km of new flyovers. But over 20 flyovers have been lying incomplete for the past 5-6 years. They should complete those first,” he said.

He mocked the slow progress by citing the example of the 2.5 km long Ejipura Flyover costing Rs 120 crore in his constituency. “At that pace, it would take 800 years to build a flyover,” he said sarcastically. “Calling it a tunnel road is just daylight robbery,” he said.

–IANS

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