The concerns were raised at a discussion organised by the Hebbal Nature Society and hosted by independent bookstore Kadhaigal on Thursday, where questions were raised over the project’s safety, environmental impact and whether existing and proposed public transport could offer alternatives to the tunnel.
The proposed tunnel is intended to ease congestion at the Hebbal junction. However, Rajkumar Dugar, founder and convenor of Citizens for Citizens, pointed out that the tunnel would be 2.2 km long, compared to about 1.8 km for the surface road between the same points. “Tunnels are usually opted for to shorten distances, to save ecological areas above ground or to bypass extreme terrains, but none of these scenarios hold good in this case,” he said.
Mr. Dugar also raised concerns over four sharp curves in the tunnel, flooding risks, varying driving speeds and air pollution arising from ventilation issues, arguing that the project did not even have the approval of the Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (BMLTA).
Hydrologist Shashank Palur of WELL Labs said the use of 3.5 acres of Hebbal Lake needed closer scrutiny as Bengaluru’s lakes form a cascading system, with water flowing from one lake to another. The discussion also pointed to flooding around Manyata Tech Park during the monsoon and raised concerns over the impact on Nagawara Lake and groundwater.
The project’s impact on the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Hebbal campus, was another major concern. Ecologist and biodiversity researcher Hareesha A.S. said the campus was among the remaining diverse green spaces in north Bengaluru that have woodlands, grasslands, agricultural fields and wetlands. Pointing out that at least 893 trees are expected to be removed for the project, Mr. Hareesha also questioned tree transplantation as a mitigation measure, saying its success rate was extremely poor.
Residents also spoke about poor public transport and last-mile connectivity in the area, with many participants pointing out that buses did not connect some inner roads of the neighbourhood to the main roads, highlighting gaps.
