Bengaluru civic body fines consultant ₹5 lakh over tunnel project DPR error

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has imposed a ₹5 lakh penalty on New Delhi-based Rodic Consultants Private Limited after glaring errors surfaced in the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for a proposed ₹9.5 crore underground tunnel road project DPR.

Also read: Bengaluru’s ₹9.5 crore tunnel project DPR sparks controversy over blunders

The project, aimed at easing Bengaluru's notorious traffic congestion, involves constructing a tunnel road linking Hebbal Esteem Mall Junction to Silk Board Junction. However, the DPR triggered public outrage after its executive summary mistakenly included traffic data from Maharashtra cities—Malegaon and Nashik—instead of Bengaluru.

BBMP officials confirmed that the mistake stemmed from a "compilation issue" in Table 15 of the summary, which listed irrelevant traffic data. Nevertheless, the core traffic analysis in Chapter 7 was accurate and pertinent to Bengaluru, they clarified.

Rodic Consultants acknowledged the error, issuing an apology and assuring corrective measures. “We regret the inadvertent compilation error in the executive summary and will ensure the final DPR is free from inaccuracies,” the firm stated, pledging internal investigations to identify those responsible.

BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath described the error as a "compilation mistake" rather than a fundamental flaw, but the incident has sparked criticism about the quality of work on high-stakes projects.

The controversy has intensified scrutiny on both BBMP and its consultants, raising questions about accountability and the diligence applied to crucial urban infrastructure initiatives.