'Will you forego your tunnel road fantasy?': Tejasvi Surya targets DK Shivakumar as Bengaluru floods again

As rain-triggered flooding and civic chaos grip Bengaluru once again, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya took a direct swipe at Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, urging him to abandon his tunnel road project and instead focus on fixing basic civic infrastructure.

"Sir, I appreciate your honesty in admitting decades of neglect of civic infrastructure that has led Bengaluru to where it is today. At least now, will you forego of your tunnel road fantasy and concentrate on basics?” the Bengaluru South MP wrote on X, in response to Shivakumar’s post about flood relief efforts.

He went on to list urgent priorities: “Ensuring good roads, right gradients for water flow, well-serviced storm water drains, high throughput water pumping machines at critical areas, civic preparedness anticipating such inclement conditions — just few of the basic ideas can go a long way in addressing the menace.”

Surya noted that it has been more than two years since Shivakumar assumed charge as Deputy CM and said the people of the city are looking for “real, fast-paced progress. Not excuses.”

The sharp remarks come after Shivakumar earlier in the day acknowledged that the city’s flood woes stem from decades of administrative neglect. He had written: “Let us be clear: the issues we face today are not new. They have been ignored for years, across governments and administrations. The only difference now is — we are working to solve them. Not with temporary fixes, but with long-term, sustainable solutions.”

In the same post, he pledged on-ground visits to flood-affected areas and reiterated his commitment to Bengaluru: “I stand with you.”

Shivakumar has been championing 60-km underground tunnel road, which is being promoted under the Brand Bengaluru initiative. The plan aims to reduce vehicular congestion across traffic hotspots like Hebbal and Silk Board, but critics have questioned its viability amid unresolved civic issues such as flooding, poor drainage, and damaged roads.

Saturday night's rains brought about 40 mm of rainfall to Bengaluru, submerging roads and damaging property in low-lying areas like Sai Layout. According to residents, repeated complaints about clogged stormwater drains have been routinely ignored. The India Meteorological Department has issued a yellow alert across several Karnataka districts.

Former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai hit out at the civic body, saying it has failed again and again. "Will our CM Siddaramaiah, Deputy CM DK Shivakumar take responsibility and solve this, never to happen again.," he said. "BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) has failed miserably again and again. No hope with them. Why should citizens continue to suffer for a failed BBMP. Why is our govt protecting failed engineers of BBMP?"