Overview
- Leader of Opposition R. Ashoka and MP Tejasvi Surya led a signature drive and silent protest at Lalbagh against the proposed Hebbal–Silk Board tunnel, with reports citing turnout in the thousands.
- Shivakumar defended the project, said Lalbagh would not be harmed, signaled openness to redesign entry and exit points, and invited Ashoka to chair a review committee with experts.
- Opponents cite the DPR to claim the tunnel would add 22 choke points and increase travel distance by about 2 km, allege acquisition of roughly six acres in Lalbagh, and warn of a steep toll near ₹600 per trip.
- Legal scrutiny continues as activists pursue cases at the NGT and in the Karnataka High Court, which has sought clarifications on ecological impacts and approvals around Lalbagh.
- The 16.75 km, approximately ₹17,800 crore project has seen tenders floated, an SPV created and a HUDCO loan sanction letter reported, even as critics argue key environmental and statutory clearances are incomplete.