Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Metal H D Kumaraswamy has backed the formidable tunnel street venture in Bengaluru mooted by Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar.
The Janata Dal (Secular) chief, in a letter dated June 24 to Union Highway Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, sought his “proactive intervention” within the matter that might handle the city site visitors challenges that Bengaluru faces and his help in “vital infrastructure” tasks aimed toward addressing urgent transportation challenges in Karnataka.
This request from Kumaraswamy comes at the same time as BJP MPs from Bengaluru — Tejasvi Surya and PC Mohan — have voiced robust objections in the direction of the proposed tunnel street venture between Hebbal and Silk Board junction, dubbing it as “unscientific and dangerous to the setting”
In his letter, Kumaraswamy underscored the necessity for a Peripheral Ring Highway and underground connectivity for Bengaluru.
“Bengaluru, being the first financial hub of Karnataka, continues to grapple with extreme site visitors congestion because of the metropolis’s fast growth. To mitigate the difficulty of site visitors, I request you to think about the event of Peripheral Ring Highway round Bengaluru to decongest town’s core and launching the development of an built-in underground street community connecting key zones of town. This transformative infrastructure will function the spine of Bengaluru’s future city mobility, considerably easing present bottlenecks, bettering connectivity, and supporting long-term sustainable progress,” he said.
Aside from Tejasvi Surya and Mohan, the venture has additionally acquired intensive backlash from civic teams and concrete mobility specialists who’ve flagged severe considerations together with direct contravention to sustainable transportation and elevated use of personal automobiles resulting in extra site visitors congestion.
“The Bengaluru Tunnel Highway venture is yet one more occasion of Congress Govt systematically destroying public transport within the metropolis. From the phrase go, the Hebbal–SilkBoard tunnel thought is beset with issues,” Tejasvi Surya said on X on June 22.
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P C Mohan identified that tunnel roads pose a risk to 10,000 bushes in Bengaluru, which has already misplaced over 33,000 bushes in a decade.
“Bengaluru sits on over 75% laborious gneiss rock, greater than 2.5 billion years outdated and very troublesome to drill. A 30-meter-deep tunnel requires large excavation via dense bedrock, making the tunnel venture geologically unviable, technically dangerous, and economically unsound,” he added.
Earlier this month, the State Cupboard accepted the development of Bengaluru’s twin-tube tunnel street venture between Hebbal and Silk Board Junction beneath the Construct-Personal-Function-Switch (BOOT) mannequin, clearing the way in which for toll-based street utilization. The concession interval has been set at 30 years, throughout which the chosen personal gamers will get well their funding via toll assortment. The detailed venture report has estimated a toll of Rs 330 for a distance of 16.6 km.
The report additionally highlights tolls for subsequent years that are to be calculated on the premise of a 5 per cent annual improve within the wholesale value index with a 40 per cent restriction. The bottom 12 months for the toll income is FY 2030-31.
Upgradation of the Kunigal part of NH 75
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In the meantime, Kumaraswamy additionally sought Gadkari’s help for a sequence of key infrastructure tasks aimed toward bettering street connectivity and security in Karnataka. Among the many proposals was the upgradation of the Kunigal part of Nationwide Freeway 75 to reinforce site visitors stream and security. He additionally urged the Centre to declare the present State Freeway No. 8, which runs from Channarayapatna to Makuta, as a brand new Nationwide Freeway. Additional, he pressed for the growth of Nationwide Freeway 150A right into a four-lane street between Jewargi and Shorapur.
Kumaraswamy known as for everlasting options alongside a number of vital ghat sections to handle points associated to landslides and connectivity within the hilly terrain. These embody the Shirur Ghat stretch of NH-66 in Ankola taluk, the Shiradi Ghat part alongside the Hassan–Sakaleshpur–Mangaluru route of NH-75, and the Bargi Ghat space close to Kumta, that are all liable to frequent disruptions through the monsoon.
Want for a flyover close to Jogihalli in Tumkur district
He additionally highlighted the necessity for a brand new flyover close to Jogihalli in Kallambella Hobli of Sira Taluk in Tumkur district to ease site visitors congestion and enhance entry within the area.
Specializing in his residence constituency of Mandya, Kumaraswamy sought help for the development of a southern bypass (ring street) for Mandya metropolis to alleviate site visitors congestion and enhance commuting effectivity. He requested Gadkari’s ministry to expedite the approval for a proposed bypass street to Pandavapura city, connecting through NH-150A, for which the Detailed Mission Report is at present being ready.
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In addition to, he urged the minister to arrange two railway overbridges — LC-64 close to Gejjala Gere Gate in Maddur and LC-97 in Srirangapatna — to enhance street security and help native growth. He stated the infrastructure would enhance native tourism and agricultural logistics within the area.