Give me a year, I’ll fix Bengaluru, says Surya as he slams tunnel road project | Bengaluru News

Bengaluru: BJP MPTejasvi Surya Monday launched a blistering attack on the govt, slamming its Rs 17,780 crore tunnel road project and insisting that if he “held as much power as the deputy CM for just one year,” he would “solve all problems in Bengaluru”.Surya, who represents Bangalore South in the Lok Sabha, called the tunnel project unscientific which serves the elite while burdening the masses. He said the 18km Hebbal-to-Silk Board tunnel road is for “crorepatis of Sadashivanagar and millionaires of Koramangala 4th Block”. He said the proposed toll of Rs 660 and the Rs 7,100 crore viability gap funding makes the project economically unjustifiable. “Why should 90% of Bengalureans, who don’t own cars, pay for something that only benefits 10%?” he asked.He said the tunnel would carry just 1,600 vehicles per hour if restricted to cars, while a Namma Metro line could transport 25,000 people hourly. “This is economic untouchability,” he said. “Instead of easing traffic, this project will worsen congestion by encouraging more private vehicles.”Surya accused the govt of bypassing due process by pushing ahead without clearance from Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA), mandatory under the BMLTA Act. “None of the goals under the Comprehensive Mobility Plan have been met, but they are still pushing this tunnel,” he said.He alleged large-scale irregularities in preparation of the detailed project report (DPR), which cost Rs 9.5 crore but was allegedly copied from a BMRCL report that cost just Rs 1.6 crore. He said the feasibility report was prepared by a consultant barred in a Madhya Pradesh NHAI project, while the firm behind the DPR is facing a Rs 500 crore scam probe in Jammu and Kashmir. “The DPR was completed before the feasibility study,” he said.He also lambasted Congress for neglecting core civic infrastructure. “Over 20 flyovers have been pending for five to six years. At this speed, it’ll take 800 years to build 100 flyovers,” he said.