Chief minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and urged him to allocate funds for Karnataka’s ambitious Rs 30,000-crore tunnel corridor project aimed at resolving Bengaluru’s traffic woes.
During the meeting which lasted for about 20 minutes, Siddaramaiah presented a memorandum requesting financial and administrative clearances for several key infrastructure projects.
The tunnel corridor, designed to link NH7 with NH14, was highlighted as a project that could be jointly executed by the state govt and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
“So allocate requisite funds to both the state govt and NHAI from the central budget,” Siddaramaiah urged Modi, underlining the importance of the project in reducing traffic congestion in Bengaluru.
The state govt is moving forward with plans to construct tunnel roads in Bengaluru to alleviate traffic congestion, despite opposition from environmentalists. The project aims to develop 191km roads across 12 high-density corridors. The cost of the project, which will be executed through a public-private partnership model, is yet to be estimated. Land acquisition will also be required, including parts of the turf club, golf course, and Bangalore Palace premises.
The CM also appealed for central govt support in the form of budgetary allocations for an 8-lane Peripheral Ring Road (PRR). The PRR project is estimated to cost Rs 27,000 crore, including Rs 6,000 crore for constructing a 74km road and Rs 21,000 crore for land acquisition. Initially, the state govt had planned to develop the PRR through private investments. However, the high land acquisition costs have deterred potential investors, despite global tenders issued twice.
Siddaramaiah also sought the Union cabinet’s approval for the 44.6km Phase 3 of Namma Metro, which is projected to cost Rs 15,611 crore. This expansion is expected to significantly enhance the city’s public transportation network. The CM requested viability gap funding from the Central govt for BBMP’s proposed integrated waste management facilities. These facilities, estimated at Rs 3,200 crore, are planned at four strategic locations around Bengaluru to improve the city’s waste management system.
Siddaramaiah urged Modi to expedite approvals for the Mekedatu and Mahadayi water projects. He requested the PM to instruct the union ministries of jala shakti and environment, forest, and climate change to swiftly approve the detailed project report (DPR) and accord environmental clearance.
The Mekedatu project aims to store 67 tmcft of Cauvery water, providing drinking water to Bengaluru and generating 400 MW of electricity. The DPR has been pending with the Central Water Commission since 2019, facing opposition from Tamil Nadu. Siddaramaiah asked for Modi’s intervention to facilitate consensus between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The chief minister also sought approval for the Kalasa-Banduri drinking water project.