Continuing his opposition to the proposed Tunnel Road Project, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya on Wednesday argued that instead of spending ₹43,000 crore on the tunnel road that would only help car owners to move within a small corridor, the government could judiciously use these funds to set up over 300 km of metro network and implementation of another 314 km of suburban rail project so that 70% of Bengaluru’s population would use public transport.

Making a presentation on alternatives to the proposed project at a press conference at the BJP State office here, Mr. Surya argued that it could not solve the traffic woes of Bengaluru as it would cater to a limited number of road users in a small area.

He suggested that all the phases of the metro rail project totalling to about 300 km should be completed at the earliest. “If you spend ₹1,000 crore on tunnel road, you can move only 1,800 passengers. But if you spend ₹1,000 crore on metro, it would held transport 69,000 passengers which is 40 times more beneficial,” he maintained.

He appealed to Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, whom he met on Tuesday, to ensure that his regime as Bengaluru Development Minister was marked by the introduction of a tram network in Bengaluru.

Published – October 29, 2025 10:28 pm IST