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The proposed Tunnel Road Project (TRP) between Hebbal and Central Silk Board in Bengaluru is drawing sharp criticism from Citizens for Citizens (C4C), a civic forum actively working to preserve the city's environmental and heritage assets. In a detailed letter addressed to Dr. Shamla Iqbal, IAS, Secretary to the Government of Karnataka, Horticulture Department, C4C has demanded immediate action to safeguard Lalbagh from the potential ecological and geological impact of the project.
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The forum highlighted that according to publicly available information, the TRP involves two tunnels of 15 meters diameter with a minimum 30-meter gap between them and two major entry ramps originating from Ashoka Pillar and Wilson Garden along Siddapura Road. These are set to pass beneath or dangerously close to Lalbagh Rock, a 3,000-million-year-old geological monument recognized by the Geological Survey of India (GSI) in 1975. The rock is not only of geological significance but also a key geo-tourism and heritage site.
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C4C, in its communication dated July 11, 2025, warned that despite the tunnels being built 30 meters underground, the ramps will vary in depth, potentially damaging the roots of Lalbagh's heritage trees, disturbing underground aquifers, and threatening the biodiversity of Lalbagh Lake. The vibrations and shockwaves from such large-scale tunneling and construction activity, they argue, could have deleterious effects on the flora, fauna, and hydrology of the area.
The civic group has urged the Horticulture Department, which serves as the lawful custodian of Lalbagh, to seek full technical details from Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Limited (B-SMILE) and ensure that the TRP is not allowed within or near Lalbagh boundaries. C4C attached conceptual diagrams with their letter to illustrate the potential impact zones and pressed for a zero-compromise stance in protecting one of Bengaluru’s most iconic green spaces.
The letter has also been copied to S S Mallikarjun, Karnataka’s Minister for Horticulture and Mines, urging political intervention to prevent any construction-related threat to Lalbagh.
