Raising pressing concerns on Bengaluru’s urban commute during the Monsoon Session in Lok Sabha, Bengaluru South MP and BJP leader Tejasvi Surya urged the Union government and key agencies to accelerate the city’s pending metro initiatives.
Surya stressed the immediate launch of the delayed Yellow Line of Namma Metro and criticised the sharp fare increase, slamming the lack of openness from BMRCL. He emphasised that the Fare Fixation Committee’s findings have still not been disclosed and demanded their urgent publication.
He also pushed for swift approvals for the Red Line proposal, arguing it could ease congestion and enhance Bengaluru’s public transit systems.
Taking a stronger stance, Surya reignited the row over the controversial ₹18,500 crore tunnel road. In a direct challenge, he invited Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar to a public debate, alleging the tunnel project was a wasteful prestige exercise favouring the elite. “It will aid only 10% of vehicle owners in upscale areas like Koramangala and Sadashivnagar, while the majority suffer due to lack of affordable mobility,” he said.
Questioning the tunnel’s financial viability, Surya pointed out that the project’s cost surpasses national ventures like the Mumbai Coastal Road and Atal Tunnel, sarcastically asking if it would be “built with golden bricks.”
With both parties locking horns, the tunnel road dispute is becoming a hotbed in Bengaluru’s mobility narrative, with optics vs. equity emerging as the central theme.