Bengaluru Tunnel Road Project: Why Karnataka Changed Park Land And BMLTA Rules Amid ₹40,000-Crore Row

Karnataka's legislature has passed two Bills covering park land and urban mobility as its proposed 16.75-km Bengaluru tunnel road faces opposition from BJP leaders, environmentalists and urban mobility experts. The amendments do not name the tunnel, but critics say they could make it easier to use protected park land for infrastructure and retrospectively deem certain major mobility projects to have been undertaken under the law.

The Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) (Amendment) Bill, 2026, permits up to 5% of a park's total area to be alienated for public utility projects. The Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2026, gives retrospective recognition to projects initiated during a specified period before the BMLTA Rules, 2026 were notified. Both Bills were passed without debate on August 24.

The Bills have drawn particular attention because the tunnel is planned between Hebbal and Central Silk Board and would pass beneath Lalbagh. The project had also previously faced objections from the BMLTA over its compatibility with Bengaluru's long-term transport plans.

What Is Bengaluru's ₹40,000-Crore Tunnel Road Project?

The proposed 16.75-km tunnel road is designed to connect Hebbal in north Bengaluru with Central Silk Board in the south through twin underground tunnels.

It has two packages: Esteem Mall-Hebbal-Seshadri Road and Seshadri Road-St John's Hospital-Madiwala.

The project is widely described as a ₹40,000-crore undertaking, but the government's current estimate and the bids are lower. The Indian Express reported that the government's estimated cost for the two packages was ₹17,698 crore, while the Adani Group emerged as the lowest bidder with a combined bid of ₹22,267 crore.

The project is planned under a build-operate-transfer model, with 40% government funding and the rest coming from private concessionaires. Shivakumar has said the tunnel will help ease Bengaluru's traffic.

Where Will The 16.75-Km Tunnel Road Run?

The tunnel will run between Hebbal and Central Silk Board, covering major parts of Bengaluru.

The most contentious section is Lalbagh Botanical Garden. BJP MP Tejasvi Surya has filed a writ petition in the Karnataka High Court against the proposed tunnel road, including a reported requirement of around five acres of Lalbagh land.

Why Did Karnataka Amend Its Parks Preservation Law?

The parks amendment changes the Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) Act, 1975.

It allows the government to sell, lease, gift, exchange, mortgage or otherwise alienate park land, subject to an absolute ceiling of 5% of the total area. The provision applies to government departments, statutory authorities, government companies and local authorities for public utility projects.

A high-level committee headed by the additional chief secretary must examine such proposals before they are recommended to the government.

The New Indian Express reported that the 5% ceiling includes park land already alienated, ensuring that previous diversions count towards the overall limit. The amendment also allows limited use of horticulture-farm land for specified projects where public interest and necessity are recorded.

The government says the change is intended to facilitate public utility and infrastructure projects. Critics say it weakens safeguards protecting Bengaluru's parks.

How Much Park Land Can Now Be Used For Public Projects?

The amended law sets the maximum at 5% of a park's total area.

Lalbagh covers around 240 acres, so 5% would be about 12 acres. But this does not mean 12 acres of Lalbagh has been allocated to the tunnel road. The tunnel project has a reported requirement of around five acres of Lalbagh land, though the precise requirement depends on whether temporary construction use is included.

The 5% figure is a statutory ceiling for eligible public projects, not an automatic transfer of park land. Any such proposal would still have to go through the committee process.

What Changes Has Karnataka Made To Bengaluru's Urban Mobility Law?

The second amendment changes Section 19 of the Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority Act, 2022.

Under the earlier law, BMLTA had the power to approve major urban transport projects based on their consistency with Bengaluru's Comprehensive Mobility Plan. Government agencies also needed prior BMLTA approval before initiating public, private or public-private urban mobility projects.

The new Section 19(6) says projects initiated from the commencement of the 2022 Act until immediately before notification of the BMLTA Rules, 2026, shall be deemed to have been undertaken under the Act.

Critics say this could retrospectively validate projects that had not undergone the scrutiny envisaged under the original law.

Could The New Laws Help The Bengaluru Tunnel Road Project?

The BMLTA amendment does not name the tunnel road or expressly grant it approval; its potential relevance to the project is an interpretation advanced by critics.

The parks amendment provides a legal mechanism for limited use or alienation of protected park land for public utility projects, which is relevant because the tunnel is planned beneath Lalbagh.

The BMLTA amendment has drawn particular attention because the authority had previously raised concerns about the tunnel road.

The Indian Express reported that a BMLTA feasibility review found that the project did not align with Bengaluru's Metro-centric Comprehensive Mobility Plan, the city's Climate Action Plan or the National Urban Transport Policy. The review also noted that the mobility plan targets a 70% public transport share by 2035 and warned that tunnel roads could encourage car-based commuting.

Tejasvi Surya has argued that the amendment could retrospectively legitimise major projects worth nearly ₹1 lakh crore, including the tunnel road, without the institutional scrutiny envisaged under the original BMLTA framework.

Why Are Lalbagh And Bengaluru's Parks At The Centre Of The Row?

Bengaluru has around 1,353 parks. Lalbagh, which is more than 200 years old, covers around 240 acres, while Cubbon Park covers about 197 acres.

The Opposition has focused on what the 5% provision could mean for such green spaces. BJP leader R Ashoka described the amendment as “full scale real estate commercialisation” of parks.

There are earlier examples of park land being used for infrastructure. The New Indian Express cited road widening at Indira Gandhi Musical Fountain Park, Metro-related use of Lalbagh and civic infrastructure and parking in parts of Cubbon Park.

The timing of the meeting between Gautam Adani and Shivakumar, a day before the Bills were passed, has also drawn scrutiny. The Adani Group is the lowest bidder for the tunnel project. The Chief Minister's office described the meeting as a “courtesy visit”, while Home Minister Priyank Kharge said there was nothing inappropriate about it.

Will The Tunnel Road Reduce Bengaluru Traffic Or Shift Congestion Elsewhere?

The government says the tunnel will ease congestion by creating an underground route through busy parts of Bengaluru.

The BMLTA's earlier assessment questioned the project's transport rationale. It said the feasibility study lacked a scientific travel demand assessment and did not adequately account for other major projects, including Metro Phases 2A, 2B, 3 and 3A, suburban rail corridors and the Transit-Oriented Development policy.

The central disagreement is therefore over whether Bengaluru should address congestion by adding road capacity or prioritising public transport. The BMLTA had warned that tunnel roads could encourage car-based commuting, while BJP leaders and urban mobility experts have argued for greater investment in the Metro network.

What Are DK Shivakumar And The Karnataka Government Saying?

Shivakumar has rejected claims that the parks amendment is intended to facilitate the tunnel project or commercialise Bengaluru's green spaces.

On Lalbagh, he said the tunnel road “will pass under Lalbagh but Lalbagh itself will not be affected”.

“In a corner… there may be a requirement for land usage during construction. It will be a small portion that is not used. There may be temporary usage for six months for storage of machinery, that is all,” he said.

Shivakumar has also said the government plans to create six new parks on the lines of Lalbagh across 5,000 acres in and around Bengaluru.

The government has defended the BMLTA amendment as necessary for continuity in administrative decision-making and to address Bengaluru's mobility problems.

The two Bills have therefore become part of a wider dispute over Bengaluru's infrastructure planning: whether the use of protected green spaces for public projects should be expanded within the new limits, and whether major road projects should take precedence over the city's public transport plans.