What do experts say about Tunnel road in Bengaluru?

Intro

After reading the post on Deccan Hearald where Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw said and I quote:

"In every city in the world, tunnels can cut the distance and create new passageways. I think it is important,”

I would like thank Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw for telling us a what a tunnel is. Otherwise, I would never have learned what a tunnel is. So far, I had thought Tunnels were dug through the mountains, so it cannot "cut the distance and create new passageways".

I knew that there was a lot of pushback from both Individual activists as well as Civil Society Organisations. If you want to see a list of prominent voices raising concerns about it, check out my other post - List of Individuals & Organisation raising voice against Tunnel road in Bengaluru.

So, I asked myself this question - What do experts say about Tunnel road in Bengaluru? Since I don't know any experts, I asked Gen AI Gemini the same question and it spit out a text mindlessly and that is what you see below.

The proposed Bengaluru tunnel road project, connecting Hebbal to Central Silk Board, is a subject of intense debate among urban planners, environmentalists, and transportation engineers. While the Karnataka government promotes it as a "global city" solution, independent experts have raised significant red flags regarding its technical, financial, and environmental viability.

1. Transportation & Mobility Concerns

A primary critique from experts is that the project promotes "induced demand"—the phenomenon where building more roads encourages more private vehicle use, eventually leading back to congestion.

• IISc Study on Underutilization: A study led by Prof. Ashish Verma of the IISc Sustainable Transportation Lab suggests the tunnel would be severely underutilized. The research found that it would fail to significantly decongest the Outer Ring Road (ORR) and could increase overall emissions by up to 18%.
• Conflict with Public Transit: Experts argue the tunnel's alignment almost exactly mirrors Namma Metro Phase 3A (Red Line), undermining the viability of mass transit systems like the Metro and suburban rail.
• Inequity in Access: Mobility activists like Rajkumar Dugar (Citizens for Citizens) emphasize that the tunnel excludes two-wheelers, three-wheelers, and buses, catering almost exclusively to a small percentage of affluent car owners.
• My Comments: Just after reading the above section, I feel like all my reservations about solving traffic problems in Bengaluru is put to rest. How?.... Well, think about it. If they don't allow two-wheelers, three-wheelers and buses, that is like 83% of the total traffic, then the tunnel will have only nearly 17% of the total traffic. That is assuming everyone travelling in a car wants to pay toll to take the tunnel. Let's be conservative and assume that 2 out of that 17% i.e. 2% of the total traffic think they are better off not paying the tunnel toll. That means only 15% of total traffic will go through tunnel.

What is the best way to solve a traffic problem? by not having 85% of the total vehicles on the road in the first place. This might not benefit 85% of the people or more if you include buses. But, who cares? especially if you are in bottom 85% percent. This is one of those - by the people, for the rich people, or the rich people.

2. Environmental & Geological Risks

The project’s path beneath some of the city’s most sensitive areas has sparked alarm:

• Threat to Lalbagh: Geologists and activists are concerned about the tunnel passing beneath the 3-billion-year-old Peninsular Gneiss rock in Lalbagh. There are fears that vibration and excavation could damage this National Geological Monument and the garden's groundwater aquifers.
• Flooding & Aquifers: Experts at the National Institute of Rock Mechanics warn that tunneling could disrupt underground water channels feeding lakes like Lalbagh and Hebbal, potentially leading to drying or contamination of local wells.
• My Comments: Who cares about local lakes and wells? Bengaluru has a long-standing tradition of reclaiming lakes for real estate development and later, the home owners blame the government for flooding their homes when it rains. This tells you how environmentally conscious the so-called Tech Capital of India is.

Now, Bengaluru doesn't want to stop with its own lakes and a river-Vrishabawathi river. It wants to make its presence felt in other areas as well. Even if that means jeopardising the pristine eco-system of Western Ghats with Yettinahole Project.

3. Financial and Governance Issues

The economic model and the transparency of the planning process have been heavily questioned:

• High Toll Costs: Estimates suggest a one-way toll could reach ₹318 to ₹330 per trip, potentially costing regular commuters up to ₹18,000 a month.
• DPR Deficiencies: A government-appointed expert committee identified over 120 technical and financial deficiencies in the Detailed Project Report (DPR). Issues include insufficient soil testing—using only four boreholes for a 16km stretch—and a lack of hydraulic analysis for stormwater.
• Data Integrity: The BBMP recently fined the project consultant ₹5 lakh after the DPR was found to have mistakenly included traffic data from cities in Maharashtra (Nashik and Malegaon) instead of Bengaluru.
• My Comments: Roughly 30% to 35% of the working population in a major metro like Bengaluru earns below ₹20,000 monthly. So, one in every three will not be able to afford the tunnel road in Bengaluru.

4. Comparison of Perspectives - 1

Would you like me to find the latest updates on the National Green Tribunal (NGT) hearings or the Karnataka High Court's stance on the tree-cutting issue?---

5. Comparison of Perspectives - 2