5 days ago
Karnataka Mobility Law Draws BJP Challenge Over Bengaluru Projects
Karnataka changed a law that guides major transport projects in Bengaluru.
The change says some projects started earlier can be treated as if they followed the newer law.
BJP MP Tejasvi Surya is worried this could allow very expensive projects to avoid important checks.
One project involved is a proposed 16.75-kilometre tunnel road.
The government says the amendment will help keep decisions moving and reduce traffic.
Earlier rules required major transport projects to receive approval from the Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority.
Critics say the tunnel road does not fit plans that focus on public transport.
The issue is also being challenged by citizens in the Karnataka High Court.
The Karnataka Assembly passed the BMLTA Amendment Bill, 2026, without a debate on Monday.
BJP MP Tejasvi Surya urged Governor Thawarachand Gehlot to examine the amendment’s potential retrospective effect.
Surya said the law could legitimise mobility projects worth nearly Rs 1 lakh crore without BMLTA scrutiny.
The amendment is seen as facilitating projects including the proposed 16.75-kilometre Bengaluru tunnel road.
The government says the change is needed to maintain administrative continuity and address Bengaluru’s traffic problems.
- Who
- The Karnataka government and Assembly, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, Governor Thawarachand Gehlot, the Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority, and citizens challenging the rules.
- What
- Karnataka passed an amendment to Section 19 of the Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority Act, 2022.
- Where
- Bengaluru, Karnataka.
- When
- The amendment was passed on Monday, and Surya wrote to the Governor on Tuesday; the amendment and related rules are dated 2026.
- Why
- The government says the amendment is intended to ensure administrative continuity and address Bengaluru’s traffic and mobility challenges; critics say it could bypass institutional scrutiny.
Critics and BJP Concerns
Government Rationale
Retrospective approvals
Critics and BJP Concerns
Tejasvi Surya argues that the amendment could retrospectively legitimise major projects without the institutional scrutiny and due process intended by the 2022 law.
Government Rationale
The amended law says projects begun during the specified period will be deemed to have been undertaken under the Act, supporting continuity in administrative decision-making.
Tunnel road project
Critics and BJP Concerns
The BMLTA previously criticised the 16.75-kilometre tunnel road for not aligning with Bengaluru’s public-transport-focused mobility plan and for lacking a scientific travel-demand assessment.
Government Rationale
The amendment’s stated purpose is to address the city’s pressing traffic and mobility challenges, and it is seen as facilitating major infrastructure projects.
Transport priorities
Critics and BJP Concerns
Critics say a car-focused tunnel could encourage private-vehicle commuting and conflict with plans involving Metro, suburban rail, and transit-oriented development.
Government Rationale
The government maintains that legislative changes are necessary to avoid interruptions in project administration while Bengaluru faces mounting congestion.
Key facts
- Amended law
- Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2026
- Amended provision
- A new Subsection 6 was added under Section 19.
- Potential project value
- The amendment has been reported as potentially affecting projects worth nearly Rs 1 lakh crore.
- Tunnel road
- The proposed Bengaluru tunnel road is 16.75 kilometres long and estimated to cost over Rs 40,000 crore.
- Earlier requirement
- The 2022 law required prior BMLTA approval for major urban mobility projects.
- Public transport target
- Bengaluru’s Comprehensive Mobility Plan targets a 70 percent public-transport share by 2035.
- Court challenge
- Citizens have challenged the BMLTA rules issued in January 2026 in the Karnataka High Court.
Quotes
Satya Arikutharam
Urban mobility expert commenting on the proposed tunnel road
“It has been reported that this provision would have the effect of retrospectively legitimising mega projects valued at nearly Rs 1 lakh crore, including the Tunnel Road Project, estimated to cost over Rs 40,000 crore, without the institutional scrutiny and due process envisaged under the BMLTA framework.”
indianexpress.com
“The intent of the parent legislation enacted in 2022 cannot be retrospectively altered in a manner that defeats the safeguards and institutional oversight it was intended to establish.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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