No Scrapping Bengaluru Road Tunneling: Shivakumar To Tejasvi Surya

BENGALURU: Bengaluru South Member of Parliament Tejasvi Surya met Bengaluru incharge and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar in Bengaluru on Tuesday where the latter made it clear to the former no scrapping of proposed road tunneling works in Bengaluru.

In an assertion to Tejasvi Surya, opposing the road tunnel project, D.K. Shivakumar said “Can’t go by you” responding to BJP MP’s demand to scrap the project in Bengaluru. However, he said, if any flaws are identified in road tunneling Detailed Project Report then, steps will be initiated to revisit the report.

After the meeting with Tejasvi Surya, Shivakumar told reporters Surya offered some suggestions to decongest city roads and the suggestions offered by him have been forwarded to officials concerned to examine them. “Not suggestions but solutions are the need of the hour,” he said.

In the meeting, Tejasvi Surya made a power-point presentation to D.K. Shivakumar and over the power-point presentation, Shivakumar asked Tejasvi Surya to suggest alternative ways to tunnel works or decongest the city roads.

“I have clarified to Surya that 6-acre of land belonging to Lalbagh will not be acquired for road tunneling works but a small portion is needed for entry and exit points,” he said and stated "I asked Tejasvi Surya to suggest another location.”

BJP MP Tejasvi Surya said he suggested to D.K. Shivakumar the amount spent on car-only tunnel project be spent on more rapid transport systems such as Metro rail connectivity.

Tejasvi Surya pointing to road tunnel project stated that according to DPR about 1,800 vehicles can travel per hour per direction in tunnel road but if the same effort is made to bold an MRTS or increasing metro rail connectivity, close to 69,000 passengers can be transported in about one-hour in a particular direction.

“I had a very cordial, very meaningful meeting with the Deputy Chief Minister,” he said.