During inspection, MP flags concerns over land acquisition and lack of environmental study
Bengaluru
Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya has demanded a detailed geological and environmental assessment for the proposed Tunnel Road ramp at Lalbagh Botanical Garden, opposing any acquisition of the heritage park’s land.
During his inspection of the site, Surya directed the Geological Survey of India (GSI) to assess the project’s impact on the ancient Lalbagh Rock formation — a 300-million-year-old National Geological Monument. He also criticised officials of B-SMILE, the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) overseeing the project, for moving ahead without an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) or public consultation.
“The Karnataka Government is attempting to take away Bengaluru’s most precious lung space for a tunnel exit ramp,” Surya told reporters. “This project threatens the city’s geological heritage — the Lalbagh Rock — and the government even plans a commercial complex with malls and eateries at the ramp site. Lalbagh belongs to the people of Bengaluru, not to vanity projects that endanger the city’s ecology.”
In a letter to the GSI, Surya noted that experts had raised serious concerns about potential structural instability, fractures, and hydrological disruptions caused by tunnelling near the rock formation, which could affect Lalbagh’s ecosystem and adjoining urban regions.
MP Tejasvi Surya emphasised that the Tunnel Road project was being advanced hastily without any Environmental Impact Assessment or geological study to evaluate its impact on Lalbagh’s ancient rock formation.
