Archive · 31 Aug 2026
Karnataka Laws Ignite Controversy Over Bengaluru Tunnel Road
Karnataka passed two new laws about parks and traffic projects in Bengaluru.
One law allows up to 5% of protected park land to be used for public projects.
Critics worry this could make it easier to build a tunnel through or near important parks.
The other law gives some older transport projects automatic approval under a newer transport authority.
Critics say this may avoid normal checks by transport experts.
The proposed tunnel would run 16.75 kilometres between Hebbal and Silk Board.
The government says it will reduce traffic and will not damage Lalbagh Garden.
The opposition and some experts prefer improving Bengaluru’s Metro system instead.
The Adani Group submitted the lowest bid, but its price was higher than the government’s original estimate.
Karnataka’s legislature passed two Bills allowing limited park-land use and retrospective clearance for urban mobility projects.
Opposition leaders and environmentalists say the park amendment could enable commercialisation and tunnel construction through protected green spaces.
Chief Minister D K Shivakumar says the tunnel will pass beneath Lalbagh without affecting the garden, apart from possible temporary construction use.
The BMLTA amendment would deem projects begun since 2023 cleared under the authority’s law, despite concerns about bypassing expert scrutiny.
The 16.75-km Hebbal–Silk Board tunnel is estimated by the government at Rs 17,698 crore, while Adani Group bid Rs 22,267 crore.
- Who
- The Karnataka government, Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, the opposition BJP, environmentalists, urban mobility experts, and the Adani Group are central to the controversy.
- What
- The state passed amendments concerning park-land use and retrospective transport-project clearances, amid debate over a proposed Bengaluru tunnel road.
- When
- The Bills passed both Houses on August 24, 2026, during a short monsoon session; Gautam Adani met Shivakumar the previous day.
- Where
- Bengaluru, Karnataka, including the proposed route between Hebbal and Silk Board and areas near Lalbagh Botanical Garden and Hebbal Lake.
- Why
- The government says the changes are needed for public utilities, administrative continuity, traffic decongestion, and Bengaluru’s mobility challenges; critics say they could bypass scrutiny and facilitate the tunnel project.
Government and Project Supporters
Opposition and Project Critics
Use of park land
Government and Project Supporters
The government says the amendment is limited to public utility projects and allows only up to 5% of park land to be used. Shivakumar says Lalbagh itself will not be affected, although a small area might be used temporarily for construction storage.
Opposition and Project Critics
The BJP and environmentalists argue that the amendment weakens protections and could open parks to commercialisation and state infrastructure projects. Tejasvi Surya has specifically raised concerns about land near Lalbagh and Hebbal Lake.
Tunnel road’s transport value
Government and Project Supporters
Shivakumar says the tunnel road would help ease Bengaluru’s traffic burden and address the city’s mounting mobility problems.
Opposition and Project Critics
The BMLTA’s feasibility review said the project does not align with Bengaluru’s Metro-centric Comprehensive Mobility Plan, Climate Action Plan, or the National Urban Transport Policy. Critics say tunnel roads encourage car-based commuting and favour Metro expansion instead.
Retrospective clearances
Government and Project Supporters
The government says deemed clearances are needed to ensure continuity in administrative decision-making and respond quickly to urgent mobility needs.
Opposition and Project Critics
Citizens, opposition leaders, and mobility experts say the amendment could circumvent BMLTA evaluation and provide retrospective approval to projects that did not undergo the required scrutiny and analysis.
Adani Group meeting and bid
Government and Project Supporters
The Chief Minister’s office described Gautam Adani’s meeting with Shivakumar as a courtesy visit, while Priyank Kharge said the Adani Group is already a government contractor in Karnataka and that nothing inappropriate occurred.
Opposition and Project Critics
The timing of the meeting—one day before the Bills passed—has added to the controversy, particularly because the Adani Group was the lowest bidder for the tunnel project at a price above the government estimate.
- Park-law limit
- The amendment permits alienation or diversion of up to 5% of a park’s total area for stated public utility purposes.
- Bengaluru parks
- Bengaluru has around 1,353 parks; Lalbagh Botanical Garden covers 240 acres and Cubbon Park covers 197 acres.
- Tunnel length
- The proposed north-south tunnel road would run 16.75 kilometres between Hebbal and Silk Board.
- Government estimate
- The government estimated the tunnel project at Rs 17,698 crore.
- Adani Group bid
- The Adani Group bid Rs 22,267 crore, approximately 24% above the estimate for the first package and 28% above it for the second.
- Project structure
- The tunnel is planned under a build-operate-transfer model, with 40% government funding and the remainder from private concessionaires.
- BMLTA amendment
- Projects initiated after the BMLTA Act began and before the 2026 rules were notified would be deemed undertaken under the Act.