Bengaluru mulling underground tunnels, satellite towns to solve traffic woes: Dy CM DK Shivakumar

Experts say the city requires a metropolitan planning committee as mandated by the 74th amendment in the Constitution.

Bengaluru is mulling underground tunnels to solve the city’s traffic woes, development minister and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said after meeting several business leaders.

The meeting was attended by 42 industry leaders across several sectors, like Kirloskar Group and Biocon, and city-based developers like Brigade Group, Prestige Group, and Bagmane Developers.

"The business leaders suggested several solutions like tunnels and elevated roads. Several companies have promised to invest for such solutions and work will be undertaken in a private-public partnership,” Shivakumar told reporters after the meeting on June 17.

The minister added that a committee will be formed after the second round of discussion to look at the solutions and to develop a blueprint.

"A website will also be made available to citizens to submit their suggestions for building a better Bengaluru," he said.

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The proposed tunnel will span across the city length with inspiration from Singapore and London-based models. The meeting also spoke about the completion of the pending works of the NICE Road or the Bengaluru-Mysuru infrastructure corridors, and satellite towns surrounding the main city.

M R Jaishankar, Executive Chairman, Brigade Group, said that the three-hour meeting was proactive on suggestions on civic infrastructure, governance, education, and health hubs to create a state capital region to improve the liability and quality of life.

Experts say Bengaluru's development needs new direction

Sandeep Anirudhan, an environmentalist, pointed out that building flyovers or underground road networks will just shift the congestion to other parts rather than solving it. "We have the Kengeri and Yelahanka satellite towns. However, over time, we saw them getting integrated into the city, thus pushing the burden back on Bengaluru," he added.

Experts say the city requires a metropolitan planning committee as mandated by the 74th amendment in the Constitution. "We need to shift people away from private vehicles with an integrated public transport system," Anirudhan added.

Today, he suggests that instead of spending Rs 300-400 crore per kilometre in building an overhead metro, the upcoming lines should be bought underground so that they can be constructed without following the existing road network as it does today.