CM Siddaramaiah seeks defence land for Bengaluru’s twin tunnel Project, Metro expansion and other projects
Bengaluru
In a renewed push to tackle Bengaluru’s growing traffic crisis, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has written to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh seeking urgent approval for the transfer of key Defence land parcels. Chief among the proposals is the ambitious Bengaluru Urban Vehicular Twin Tunnel Project—an underground corridor envisioned to offer high-speed connectivity between Hebbal and Central Silk Board.
The project, which promises to revolutionise travel between the city’s north and south, is aimed at decongesting traffic from Kempegowda International Airport and the surrounding areas. The planned entry ramp near Hebbal requires 2.039 acres of land that was formerly part of the Defence Dairy Farm. The government had initially requested a slightly larger portion of 2.571 acres through an application filed in November 2024. However, following a joint inspection with local military authorities, a revised and more focused proposal was submitted in March 2025.
The letter from the Chief Minister, dated July 9, also reminds the Defence Ministry of the Centre’s earlier approval for two other infrastructure initiatives—the Rotary Flyover near Baiyyappanahalli and the 24-meter-wide road from Lower Agaram Road to Sarjapur Road via Ejipura. While acknowledging this support with gratitude, Siddaramaiah pointed out that the Ejipura road project still requires a final stretch of Defence land to be completed in full.
In addition to the tunnel, Siddaramaiah flagged two other pending proposals of strategic urban importance. The first is a new link road from Bellary Road to Sarovara Layout, located behind the now-defunct Hebbal Defence Dairy Farm. This road, proposed under the Revised Master Plan 2015, is designed to be 18 meters wide and is critical for improving access to rapidly developing areas. The BBMP has already conducted detailed surveys and applied for the transfer of 6.837 acres via the Defence Portal.
The final proposal concerns the construction of a metro viaduct and flyover as part of Bengaluru Metro’s Phase-3 expansion. The corridor running from JP Nagar 4th Phase to Kempapura passes through Defence land near Goraguntepalya. For the double-decker structure to take shape, the state requires 0.34 acres from ALISDA/DGAQA and 7.02 acres of Air Force land. Applications were originally submitted in February 2025 and later revised based on field assessments with Defence authorities.
Siddaramaiah stressed the pressing need for these projects, stating that Bengaluru’s explosive population growth has made infrastructure expansion not just important, but inevitable. He urged the Ministry to expedite the land transfer approvals, noting that all alignments have been planned with due respect to Defence operations.
“These transformative initiatives are vital to Bengaluru’s future and align with broader national goals of mobility and connectivity,” the Chief Minister concluded, expressing hope for continued cooperation from the Centre.
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