Shivakumar said the government aims to "solve Bengaluru's traffic congestion in the coming days'. (Express Photo)Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar Sunday laid the foundation of the six-lane twin tunnel road from Mekhri Circle to Hebbal Junction in Bengaluru, stating it will clear traffic congestion in the city.The Hebbal junction road, which connects Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), also connects Ballari.Shivakumar said the 2.5 km-long cut-and-cover tunnel will be toll-free.“Hebbal has become like a hebbagilu (grand gateway) to Bengaluru. We have provided some relief from traffic congestion in the Hebbal area. Our aim is to solve Bengaluru’s traffic congestion in the coming days,” Shivakumar said after laying the foundation.Also Read | ‘Bengaluru’s terrain suitable for tunnelling, 40 acres of additional land required’: B-SMILE technical director addresses concerns about tunnel road projectRithwik Projects Private Limited won the tender bid for Rs 1,139 crore. The project deadline is 18 months.“A proposal has been submitted for a 17-km-long tunnel project from Hebbal to the Silk Institute. The project will be completed in three to four years. Those who want to pay and travel on the tunnel road will do so. This will save people’s time,” he said.“Saving people’s time is important. People should be able to finish work by 5–6 in the evening and reach home. We are doing whatever needs to be done to help with this,” he added.Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) is also planning a 1.7 km four-lane elevated corridor from Mekhri Circle to Hebbal to ease the congestion.‘Laid the tombstone of scientific urban planning’Story continues below this adBengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya criticised the project, calling it unscientific. “Mr Chief Minister, you have not laid a foundation stone today. You have laid the tombstone of scientific urban planning in Bengaluru,” Surya said in a statement.The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader pointed out that the government’s Detailed Project Report (DPR) admits that the tunnel will be saturated from the very first day of operation.Also Read | Karnataka Cabinet approves Rs 2,215 crore tunnel road to ease congestion between Bengaluru Mekhri Circle, Hebbal flyover“Not five years later. Not ten years later. Day One. If the project’s own report says it will begin its life in a traffic jam, then who exactly is this project for? Certainly not commuters,” he said.“This project seems designed to make life easier for a privileged few, the VIPs of Sadashivanagar, including the Chief Minister and the city’s elite who use this corridor to reach the airport, while ordinary taxpayers across Bengaluru foot the bill,” he said.Story continues below this adShivakumar hit back, saying that those in the Opposition “didn’t do a single piece of work”.“None of this will work. Let them protest, let them do whatever they want, and if they offer guidance along with it, I will listen,” he said in a statement later.