Bengaluru tunnel road project to be completed in three years: Karnataka Dy CM D.K. Shivakumar
Bengaluru: Unfazed by public criticism of the proposed tunnel roads, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said that the ambitious tunnel road project linking Hebbal and Silk Board Junction would be completed in three years.
The Bengaluru development minister mentioned that a tender for the tunnel road project would be floated by February. “I have given them a deadline of three years to complete the project. The project will be implemented in two phases with funding from the government and BBMP. Several financial institutions have shown interest in supporting the initiative,” he said.
Asked about Bengaluru Central MP P.C. Mohan's letter opposing the project, he said, “The tunnel project will be underground and will not require any additional land.”
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike has finalised the detailed project report (DPR) for the 16-km tunnel road and recently issued a tender inviting bids for the DPR of a second tunnel between KR Puram and Nayandahalli.
The BBMP is reportedly seeking Rs 8,000 crore in loans over the next five years to fund the project. The civic body has said that three financial institutions have proposed the loan, with an annual interest rate of 9-10 percent and a flexible repayment period.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
