After Lalbagh, scouting for tunnel road land hits a wall

BENGALURU: One of Chief Minister DK Shivakumar’s pet project — the twin-tunnel road from Hebbal to Silk Board — is likely to face further delays. Following intense public backlash, the government was forced to realign the tunnel route to bypass the Lalbagh Botanical Garden. However, government agencies are still not able to find suitable land to design the alternative route for the project.

Sources in the urban development department and Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Limited (B-SMILE) said the biggest challenge now is to find suitable alternative land that will not force the project off-tracks again.

A B-SMILE source said, “It is not just citizens who are opposing the tunnel road project, but many government agencies are also not in favour of it. We are unable to collaborate and coordinate with other government departments like the education, health and even the police for land. No one is keen on parting with land for the project and the timeline for execution of the project is ticking.”

The government was looking at using the land in areas along Lalbagh-Bannerghatta Road, the fire station, along educational institutions enroute and even private and government health centres.

“We cannot afford another shift in the alignment. The time to execute the project is also ticking. In 2025, the Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) had given its approval to fund Rs 9,303.66 crore for the project, but just like any other project, there is a timeline to execute it and if the land is not acquired, then executing the project will get further delayed. Now the biggest challenge before the government is finding the best suitable land for it. It has been a month since the government reversed its decision on Lalbagh and withheld the Parks Amendment Bill, but we are still struggling,” sources in UDD said.

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