A detailed project report (DPR) for an ambitious tunnel road project in Karnataka’s Bengaluru has raised eyebrows after it was found to contain multiple inaccuracies, including environmental discrepancies and references to cities in Maharashtra. The DPR, which cost the state Rs 950 million, prepared by New Delhi-based Rodic Consultants and submitted to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) in November 2024, outlined plans for an 18 km tunnel road connecting Hebbal and Silk Board.
The report, which was completed in just three months, has come under scrutiny for including data on traffic volumes from two cities in Maharashtra, when discussing traffic patterns in Bengaluru. On a particular page of the project report, the analysis of traffic volumes at Malur Road, Guttahalli Main Road, and NR Road includes references to traffic characteristics between Malegaon and Nashik, suggesting a “copy-paste job”.
“Nine cordon points were identified to understand the traffic characteristics in the study area,” the report states, before going on to detail the traffic flow and counts at various junctions. However, the incorrect inclusion of traffic data from cities far removed from Bengaluru has sparked criticism, raising questions about the validity of the entire report.
Karnataka’s Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has been championing this project as part of his “Brand Bengaluru” initiative. Shivakumar believes the tunnel project will significantly reduce traffic congestion in the growing city, particularly at the busy Hebbal and Silk Board junctions.
The BBMP had also commissioned a feasibility study along the same corridor from Altinok Consulting for Rs 4.7 crore, in addition to the DPR.
Observers had questioned the report when it was submitted within three months, as any DPR usually takes at least nine months to a year. In comparison, the DPR for Bengaluru Metro’s 37-km Hebbal-Sarjapur corridor, prepared by RINA Consulting at a cost of Rs 1.50 million, took a full year to complete. This stark contrast in both cost and timelines has drawn further scrutiny over the tunnel project’s planning process.
