1 week ago
Adani Meets Karnataka Chief Minister Amid Tunnel Road Controversy
Gautam Adani met Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar at the chief minister’s home in Bengaluru.
Shivakumar said Adani came to meet him as a courtesy.
Adani had reportedly visited the Art of Living before going to the airport.
Adani’s company was the lowest bidder for a planned underground road in Bengaluru.
The road would connect Hebbal in the north with Silk Board in the south.
The government estimates the project will cost ₹17,698 crore.
The bid has not been officially finalized and was reportedly higher than the estimate.
The BJP criticized the meeting, while citizen groups questioned the road’s usefulness and possible toll costs.
Gautam Adani met Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar for about an hour at the chief minister’s Bengaluru residence.
Shivakumar said it was Adani’s first such visit since he became chief minister and described it as a courtesy meeting.
The meeting came after Adani Enterprises emerged as the lowest bidder for Bengaluru’s proposed 17-kilometre underground tunnel road.
The project is estimated to cost ₹17,698 crore, but Adani’s reported bid was about ₹4,600 crore above that estimate and has not been finalized.
Bharatiya Janata Party leaders criticized the meeting, while the project also faces opposition from citizen groups over its usefulness, financial viability and possible tolls.
- Who
- Gautam Adani and Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar; the Bharatiya Janata Party and citizen groups also commented.
- What
- Adani held an approximately hour-long meeting with Shivakumar, while political debate continued over Adani Enterprises’ bid for a Bengaluru tunnel-road project.
- Where
- Shivakumar’s residence in Sadashivanagar, Bengaluru, Karnataka.
- When
- Sunday; the articles do not specify the date.
- Why
- Shivakumar said Adani came to meet him out of courtesy; Adani had reportedly visited the Art of Living while returning to the airport.
Karnataka Government and Congress
BJP and Project Critics
Nature of the meeting
Karnataka Government and Congress
D K Shivakumar said Gautam Adani’s visit was a courtesy meeting and described it as Adani’s first such visit since Shivakumar became chief minister.
BJP and Project Critics
R Ashoka accused Congress of applying different standards to Adani nationally and in Karnataka, calling the meeting evidence of a double standard.
Tunnel-road project
Karnataka Government and Congress
The Karnataka government has proposed the project as a major infrastructure measure to address congestion on one of Bengaluru’s busiest routes.
BJP and Project Critics
The BJP has opposed the project, and citizen groups have questioned its usefulness, financial viability and the possible toll burden on motorists.
Tender and cost
Karnataka Government and Congress
Adani Enterprises emerged as the lowest bidder under the proposed public-private partnership model.
BJP and Project Critics
Critics can point to reports that the bid was approximately ₹4,600 crore above the government’s estimated cost and that the tender was not yet finalized.
Key facts
- Meeting description
- The Karnataka chief minister’s office described it as a courtesy meeting.
- Meeting duration
- Approximately one hour.
- Tunnel-road route
- A proposed 17-kilometre underground corridor from Hebbal to Silk Board in Bengaluru.
- Estimated project cost
- Around ₹17,698 crore.
- Adani bid
- Adani Enterprises was reportedly the lowest bidder, with a bid about ₹4,600 crore above the government’s estimate.
- Project status
- The tender had reportedly not been officially finalized.
- Funding model
- The proposed public-private partnership would have the state contribute 40% of its estimated project cost, with the successful bidder funding the rest.
Quotes
D K Shivakumar
Karnataka Chief Minister who described Adani’s visit to reporters
“After I became the chief minister, this was the first time he (Adani) wanted to come and meet me here. They are carrying out several businesses here. He came to meet me out of courtesy.”
livemint.com
“Congress opposes Adani in Delhi while in Karnataka it is in his favour. Isn't this a double standard”
livemint.com
Sources
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