‘Don’t sacrifice public transport for private vehicles’: Tejasvi Surya writes to BBMP Chief on prime Bengaluru land
Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya urges full allocation of Hebbal land for Metro, emphasizing the urgent need for integrated public transport solutions.
The controversy over the use of a key 45-acre land parcel in Hebbal, North Bengaluru, has intensified as BJP MPs from the city have voiced strong opposition to the Congress-led Karnataka government’s plan to partially utilise the site for its ambitious tunnel road project. The state government wants to build an underground corridor connecting Hebbal to Central Silk Board in the south-east. But the MPs argue that the land must be fully reserved for public transport infrastructure, specifically for Bengaluru Metro.
What Tejasvi Surya wrote?
Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya has written to Maheshwar Rao—who currently holds dual roles as BBMP Chief Commissioner and Managing Director of Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL)—urging that the entire parcel be allocated solely for Metro development.
In his letter, Surya highlighted the importance of investing in mass rapid transit systems to address the city's mounting traffic crisis. “This 45-acre land in Hebbal must be used for the proposed metro infrastructure and a multi-modal transport hub. With over 80 lakh registered vehicles and worsening congestion, Bengaluru urgently needs integrated public transport solutions,” he wrote.
Hebbal, located at the intersection of Outer Ring Road and NH-44, is one of the city's busiest transport nodes. It connects central Bengaluru to Kempegowda International Airport and various peripheral zones, making it a critical point for both daily commuters and long-distance travellers. Surya stressed that the planned metro hub, which includes two key stations and links the Airport Line with Phase 3 on ORR, would ease congestion and streamline daily travel for lakhs of residents.
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“This project represents one of the last strategically located land parcels in the city,” Surya noted. “Diverting it for private vehicular infrastructure like a tunnel road would be a major, irreversible setback to Bengaluru’s public transport and mobility plans.”
The land in question is currently under the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) and was originally acquired nearly two decades ago for a tourism initiative that never materialised. Last year, BMRCL formally requested that the land be transferred for building a metro depot, transit hub, multi-level parking, and related infrastructure.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar recently stated that the government intends to split the land between the metro and the tunnel road. However, this has drawn sharp objections from the BJP leaders, who insist that the entire parcel should be preserved for Metro use alone.
Echoing Surya’s concerns, Bengaluru Central MP P.C. Mohan alleged that vested interests were behind the push to repurpose the land. “The Karnataka government has denied this prime land to BMRCL due to pressure from private real estate developers. Hebbal is crucial for both the airport Metro and suburban rail. BMRCL must resist pressure from the real estate lobby,” he said.
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