Surya Meets Shivakumar Amid 'Empty Vessel' Jibes Over Bengaluru Tunnel

The meeting has drawn attention as Dy CM Shivakumar had earlier described Tejasvi Surya as an "empty vessel" and remarked that he is busy posting on social media without doing any real work.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, too, had commented that Tejasvi Surya "does not represent the sun (Surya), but represents Amavasya (new moon)."

According to the office of the Deputy Chief Minister, "Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya met Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar at his Sadashivanagar residence on Tuesday and held discussions regarding measures to ease Bengaluru's traffic congestion."

The office of Tejasvi Surya stated that two presentations were made to the Dy CM during the meeting -- one on 'Decongesting Bengaluru' and another on 'Why Tunnel Road is Not the Solution.'

Under the 'Decongesting Bengaluru' topic, the presentation highlighted the current approach of the government. It stated, "As cities worldwide shift to people-first mobility, Bengaluru remains trapped in a car-first model."

The key issues identified were, over-reliance on road expansion (leading to induced demand), lack of first and last-mile connectivity, car-centric infrastructure, fragmented planning across agencies, lack of administrative support for key institutions, and delays in project execution.

Surya also presented a comparison of the efficiency ratio between tunnel roads and the Metro system. "The Metro carries more than 40 times the number of people for the same investment. Tunnel roads increase Vehicular Kilometres Travelled (VKT), resulting in more vehicles and exponentially higher emissions. The Metro moves people efficiently as a mass public transport system, whereas tunnel roads move vehicles and prioritise car users," Surya stated.

He further added that VKT decreases with Metro systems but increases with tunnel roads. "The Metro is cleaner, quieter, and reduces emissions, while the tunnel project is polluting and energy-intensive," he noted.

Tejasvi Surya proposed several recommendations to address Bengaluru's mobility challenges. These included: Improving execution efficiency of existing solutions; adopting a 'Move People, Not Vehicles' policy; prioritising public transport; promoting integration over silos; and following the principle that "the pedestrian is king, not motor vehicles."

- IANS