Government Announces Hebbal Tunnel Road and Rs 1.5 Lakh Crore Bengaluru Development Plan

Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar announced on Wednesday a Rs 1.5 lakh crore infrastructure and development plan for Bengaluru, which includes a targeted tunnel road project to ease traffic congestion near Hebbal. Speaking at an event held at Manyata Tech Park, Shivakumar outlined several major transport and zoning initiatives aimed at addressing the city's rapid growth and severe traffic challenges.

The infrastructure push comes as Bengaluru faces intense traffic pressure, with approximately 30,000 new vehicles registered in the city every month. To address the persistent bottlenecks near Hebbal, the state government has launched a small tunnel road project.

In addition to the Hebbal local project, the government is planning a massive 40-kilometre tunnel road across Bengaluru. Shivakumar stated that this project will be discussed in an upcoming Cabinet meeting, and an official order will be issued as soon as possible.

The state's transit plans also include a significant expansion of the metro network. The government aims to extend metro connectivity to 500 kilometres by next year, up from the 350 kilometres currently planned.

Further road infrastructure plans highlighted by the Chief Minister include a 44-kilometre double-decker flyover project, a 133-kilometre flyover project, and the construction of a 123-kilometre Bengaluru Business Corridor.

To address high office rents in Bengaluru, the state government plans to double the allowed floor area ratio (FAR) in tier-2 and tier-3 cities across Karnataka. FAR is a zoning metric that regulates how much a developer can build on a piece of land. Doubling this ratio will enable the construction of multi-storeyed and high-rise buildings in these cities, where office rents are currently less than half of those in Bengaluru.

The announcements were made during an event organised by the Department of Electronics, Information Technology and Biotechnology, where the Chief Minister interacted with Global Capability Centre leaders. Shivakumar also indicated that the government will provide land at lower rates to encourage companies to establish industries in tier-2 and tier-3 cities.