Bengaluru, 29 June

BJP MP Tejasvi Surya on Monday said he has filed a PIL in the High Court of Karnataka challenging the North–South Tunnel Road project in Bengaluru.

According to him, the matter would be listed for hearing on 6 July.

The Bengaluru South MP said the Public Interest Litigation was mentioned before the High Court of Karnataka on Monday.

"As the matter was unlikely to be taken up during the course of the day, I requested the Hon'ble Chief Justice for a short date. The Hon'ble Chief Justice was pleased to list the matter for hearing on 6 July 2026," he said in a post on X.

This comes a day after Chief Minister DK Shivakumar laid the foundation stone for a 2.5 km tunnel road between Mekhri Circle and Hebbal.

The twin tunnels will be toll-free, the CM said, adding that the Bengaluru Development Authority will undertake the project using its own resources and funds.

Shivakumar said Hebbal had become the gateway to Bengaluru, and the tunnel would provide significant relief to traffic congestion in the area.

He added that the government was planning for the next 50 years and working to transform people’s lives through infrastructure development.

The BJP has opposed the tunnel road project, calling it "unscientific".

In a post on X, Surya on Sunday claimed Shivakumar had not laid the foundation stone for the tunnel road, but "the tombstone of scientific urban planning."