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Bengaluru, Oct 29 (IANS) BJP Yuva Morcha national president and Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya on Wednesday criticized the Karnataka government’s proposed tunnel road project, saying the focus should be on providing maximum benefits to passengers and not on giving priority to cars.
Speaking to reporters at BJP’s state headquarters, Jagannath Bhawan, Tejaswi Surya said the tunnel road project will cost Rs 43,000 crore.
“How can building an 18 km long underground tunnel solve all the traffic problems of Bengaluru? How will it address emergencies? No feasibility or traffic study has been done. The government is not even listening to experts’ opinions. There is no better example of wasting public money than this.”
“We have given scientific options. About 70 per cent of Bengaluru’s population should be able to depend on public transport. We have presented five key points in this regard. All ongoing projects are getting delayed and progress is slow,” he said.
Tejasvi Surya said that the government should complete the pending projects before starting new projects.
“The goal should be to benefit maximum people in minimum time and minimum cost, not to give priority to cars,” he said.
He urged the government to give priority to public transport and ensure coordination between departments. “There should be proper footpaths for pedestrians. In the last three years, Bengaluru has recorded the highest number of pedestrian deaths in the country,” he said.
Referring to road deaths, he said, “During the Pulwama attack, three soldiers from Karnataka lost their lives and it became national news. But in Bengaluru, 15-20 pedestrians die every day on the roads. The city needs suburban rail, metro, tram and ring rail connectivity.”
Citing government figures, Tejasvi Surya said that after the opening of the Yellow Metro Line, the traffic congestion at Silk Board Junction reduced by 37 percent.
“Given this, should we expand the metro or build more tunnels for cars? Similarly, the Purple Line has reduced traffic congestion by 12-14 per cent. People who travel by car prefer air-conditioned metro trains as they are faster and cheaper,” he said.
Tejasvi Surya said that under the comprehensive mobility plan, Bengaluru should have 300 kilometers of metro lines, with a train every three minutes.
“This is BJP’s alternative solution,” he said.
Tejasvi Surya said that when the 300 km of metro lines are completed, it does not matter where one is in Bengaluru, the metro station should be within a 5-minute walk.
“Then no one will face problems in traffic. People will leave their personal vehicles at home and travel by metro,” he said.
He said that if the same Rs 43,000 crore is used properly, Bengaluru can have a metro network of 317 kilometers by 2031.
“But this government has no interest in it,” he said.
–IANS
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