Overview

• B-SMILE released global tenders on July 15 for the 16.7 km twin-tube tunnel linking Hebbal and Silk Board, split into two 8.748 km packages with technical bids due September 3
• The modified Build-Own-Operate-Transfer plan carries an estimated cost of ₹17,698 crore and a 34-year concession that includes 50 months of construction and one-way tolls of ₹330 per trip
• BJP MP Tejasvi Surya vowed to block the project through courts and the legislature, calling it an elitist “loot” that excludes buses, autos, and two-wheelers and lacks mandatory BMLTA approval
• Opponents have flagged alleged plagiarism and errors in the ₹9.5 crore Detailed Project Report—such as traffic data from Malegaon and Nashik—and raised questions about consultant debarments and past scam links
• Supporters say the underground road will halve travel times between north and south Bengaluru to 45 minutes and relieve chronic congestion in the face of stalled metro expansion and a shortfall of around 9,000 buses