Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar's statement about Bengaluru's tunnel road project, in which he said "people don't marry daughters to men who don't own cars", has drawn a sharp criticism from BJP MP Tejasvi Surya who urged him to scrap the tunnel road project and expand mass transport and said the tunnel road is "intended to solve a social problem - of people not wanting to marry a man without car".
Here’s what DK Shivakumar said on tunnel road
DK Shivakumar earlier said that Tejasvi Surya doesn't understand the social obligations behind people buying cars. "Can I stop you from bringing your vehicle? It's a matter of social responsibility. People prefer to travel in their own vehicles with their families. Can we prevent them from using their cars? If needed, MPs can appeal to their constituents to leave their cars at home and use public transport. Let us see how many actually follow that. Today, people even hesitate to marry their daughter to a boy who doesn't own a car," he told reporters.
Tejasvi Surya responds to Shivakumar
Later, replying to the Deputy Chief Minister's remark, the Bengaluru South MP said, "For all these days, I was under the wrong impression that the tunnel project was aimed at solving Bengaluru traffic problem. Now, DCM has clarified that it is intended to solve a social problem - of people not wanting to marry a man without car. How stupid I was!"
Earlier in the day, Tejasvi Surya urged DK Shivakumar to drop the tunnel road project in Bengaluru, saying the focus should be on moving people, not vehicles.
"Instead of leaving a legacy, Shivakumar is leaving a scar on Bengaluru," Surya said, warning that his party would challenge the project in court and also take to the streets in protest.
Insisting that a rail-based transport system is the only solution to the traffic woes in the state capital, the Bengaluru South MP said, "We should plan projects for people and not for contractors."
Tunnel road project will only choke Bengaluru: Tejasvi Surya
“This tunnel road project, with an estimated cost of Rs 43,000 crore, will only choke Bengaluru and not offer any solution," he said.
According to him, if this money is invested in Metro Rail, Suburban Rail, trams, and different sizes of buses under the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) for last-mile connectivity, the city's traffic problems could be resolved.
The MP claimed that for every Rs 1,000 crore spent on the tunnel road, only 1,800 car users could travel per hour per day, whereas the same investment in Metro Rail would benefit 69,000 passengers per hour every day.
DK Shivakumar repies to Tejasvi Surya
Speaking to reporters at the KPCC office, DK Shivakumar said, "Neither me nor Tejasvi Surya are technical experts on the Tunnel Road project. A team of technical experts is in favor of the Tunnel Road project. As long as they continue to receive central funding, we have no problem implementing the urban rail project. He can seek the help of Union Minister Somanna."
He said this while responding to a question about Tejasvi Surya's opposition to the Tunnel Road project in Bengaluru.
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