Bengaluru: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) issued notices to the state govt and multiple agencies over the proposed 16.74-km twin-tube tunnel road from Hebbal to Silk Board, following a petition that alleged the Rs 19,000-crore project bypassed mandatory environmental safeguards.The proposal, piloted by deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar, had drawn flak from a section of urban mobility experts and environmentalists, who argue it is “unscientific and environmentally damaging”. The petitioners – Bengaluru Praja Vedike, Kathyayini Chamaraj of CIVIC, and environmentalist Dattatraya Devare – maintained the project was “politically driven from inception” and advanced despite two failed expressions of interest.The notices were served to the govt, Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change, Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Ltd (BSMILE), and Rodic Consultancy Pvt Ltd. The project, announced during the 2024-25 state budget and cleared by the Cabinet on May 22, is being pushed under a build-own-operate-transfer model. A special purpose vehicle, BSMILE, was created to implement the plan, with the detailed project report (DPR) prepared in just three months.The plea cites major gaps in the DPR, including the absence of site-specific geological studies, hydrological and flood-risk mapping, biodiversity assessment, and tree enumeration. Traffic modelling is alleged to have excluded key vehicle categories, underestimated emissions, and still predicted severe congestion at major junctions.The document accessed by TOI revealed that environmental risks were also flagged, with the proposed alignment cutting through ecologically sensitive and legally protected areas, including Lalbagh’s Peninsular Gneiss formation and Hebbal Valley’s stormwater corridor. Petitioners warn of groundwater depletion, soil instability, and aggravated flooding.The petition alleged the govt sidestepped mandatory Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and public consultation by exploiting a technicality that “tunnels” are not explicitly listed under the EIA notification, 2006 – a move reminiscent of the scrapped 2017 steel flyover project.The petitioners argued that a Metro rail corridor along the same alignment offers a far more sustainable and inclusive alternative. They urged the NGT to quash the tender process, cancel the project, and uphold citizens’ constitutional right to a clean and healthy environment.“No state govt body was willing to listen to the red flags of this tunnel road project. Ultimately, we had to knock on the doors of the NGT to stop it,” said Dattatraya Devare.A senior IAS officer, who is associated with the project, said they will hold discussions and draft a reply to the notices.
