Overview

• Calling the Rs 26,000 crore proposal reckless, the Karnataka Opposition leader urged the Congress government to scrap the project and tagged Rahul Gandhi in a public appeal.
• Citizen groups C4C and Bangalore Environment Trust say the DPR shows two 50‑foot‑wide tunnels running 50–100 feet below ground for about 700 meters under Lalbagh, plus long ramps and a large ventilation shaft.
• Roughly 23,800 square meters along the Siddapura Road edge would be acquired, with a 1.4 km entry ramp starting near Ashoka Pillar and a 1.1 km exit emerging near Marigowda Junction.
• Activists warn of damage to the 3‑billion‑year‑old Lalbagh Rock and disruptions to aquifers and Lalbagh Lake, while critics fear significant tree loss and biodiversity harm; Ashoka alleges thousands of trees would be cut.
• The tunnel corridor is proposed to link Hebbal and Central Silk Board with multiple entry and exit points including near Lalbagh, and it remains at the DPR stage as civic and political opposition grows.