NGT Admits Plea Against Karnataka’s Hebbal–Silk Board Tunnel Road, Questions Feasibility And Legal Clearances

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government's ambitious first tunnel road project between Hebbal to Silk Board junction has hit the first legal battle, with the National Green Tribunal (NGT) issuing notice to the government over feasibility of the project.

The NGT admitted a petition filed by Dattathreya Devare and Kathyayini Chamaraj of Bengaluru Praja Vedike, who contended that there were serious violations in Bengaluru's proposed tunnel road project.

The petition contended that the project was hastily announced and the tunnel was not backed by the Comprehensive Mobility Plan -2020 and lacked technical assessment. The petition sought to have the project declared unlawful.

In May 2025, the state approved construction of a 16.74 km twin tube tunnel from Hebbal to Silk Board Junction at an estimated cost of Rs 19,000 crore. Contending that it was a politically driven announcement, the petition stated that it was pushed forward despite two failed expressions of interest, later retrofitted into a feasibility study through `procedural maneuvering'.

The petition charged that the Detailed Project Report (DPR) contained factual errors and omitted key studies like site specific geological surveys, hydrological mapping and flood risk assessments. Although the alignment passes through ecological sensitive areas like Lalbagh, Hebbal Valley's storm water corridor and near Peenya Industrial area, no impact assessment was done, the petition noted.

``The respondents bypassed the mandatory Environment Impact Assessment (EIA), ignored public consultation and relied on a technicality that tunnels are not explicitly listed under the EIA notification, 2006, to evade clarence,'' the petition added.