Speak up for Bengaluru tunnel road, DKS tells entrepreneurs

BENGALURU: Chief minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday urged women entrepreneurs to publicly support his government’s tunnel-road project, saying some political leaders were opposing the plan for political reasons even as Bengaluru’s traffic continued to worsen.Addressing the fifth edition of “Together We Grow,” organised by the Ubuntu Consortium at FKCCI, Shivakumar said the city’s mobility problems were costing businesses and workers both time and money. He asked the gathering to speak up about the issue and hold political leaders accountable.“Even, shout at me if I am doing wrong,” he said, adding that entrepreneurs had a direct stake in improving mobility because employees needed to travel to their establishments and factories.Shivakumar defended the tunnel-road proposal as a necessary response to Bengaluru’s constrained road network. He said widening existing roads was difficult because much of the city had not been planned for its present scale. Travelling from Mysuru to Bengaluru could take about 90 minutes, he said, but entering the city and reaching the final destination could take even longer.He reiterated that the government was investing more than Rs 1.5 lakh crore in Bengaluru’s development and mobility infrastructure. The city’s rapid growth and rising number of vehicles had made travel increasingly difficult, he said.The remarks come amid intensified opposition to the proposed north-south tunnel corridor between Hebbal and Silk Board. The project has faced criticism from the BJP, civic groups and urban-mobility experts. Critics have questioned its cost and argued that car-focused infrastructure could undermine the city’s public-transport goals.Concerns have also been raised over its possible impact on green spaces, particularly Lalbagh. The controversy sharpened after the state legislature passed amendments relating to the use of parkland for public infrastructure and the clearance of large urban-transport projects. Shivakumar has maintained that the tunnel would pass beneath Lalbagh without damaging the garden.At the event, the chief minister also assured women entrepreneurs of government support. He said running a business involved considerable financial stress, including meeting salaries, paying suppliers and servicing loans.“You are not employees. You are employers,” he said, praising women entrepreneurs for creating jobs and assuming a wider responsibility towards society.Shivakumar pointed to the state’s subsidised financing facility under which eligible women entrepreneurs can access Karnataka State Financial Corporation loans at an effective interest rate of 4%. He also called for more educated women to enter politics and assume leadership roles from gram panchayats to Parliament.The chief minister questioned the continued preference for sons in Indian families. Recalling the birth of his granddaughter on May 1, he said his wife had hoped the first grandchild would be a boy. Shivakumar said he had challenged that thinking, pointing to the success of their daughter Aishwarya.Referring to the Ramayana, he said Sita’s role was stronger than Rama’s, citing her sacrifices, struggles and resilience. He urged women entrepreneurs to remain confident and become partners in Karnataka’s growth.Get the latest Business News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.