Railways only solution to curb Bengaluru's traffic menace, Tejaswi Surya says at Republic Summit

BENGALURU: BJP youth leader and MP for Bengaluru South Lok Sabha Constituency Tejaswi Surya on Friday hit out at the previous governments in Karnataka for not doing enough to rebuild the capital city of Bengaluru. He was speaking at the Republic Kannada Summit organized to address the pertinent issues impacting the southern state. 

"Bengaluru has given me the existence and identity", Surya stressed, while expressing his disappointment over lack of a 25-year vision for the city's development.

Citing a 30-year delay in implementation of an action-plan for suburban railway, Surya emphasized on the critical need for systemic solutions to revitalize the city also known as India's Silicon Valley. Dismissing the initiatives for road widening and Rs 50 thousand crore worth of tunnel projects as a way to curb traffic menace, Surya said "railway facility is the only solution for the traffic problem in the city", while stressing that even most developed countries in the world rely on the railways to this date, as a way to control traffic.

Earlier this year, Bengaluru - known for being an Information Technology hub - witnessed tremendous traffic congestion on 27 September at several routes with commuters complaining it took two hours for them to cover a distance of one kilometre. The number of vehicles had doubled that day, according to the Bengaluru traffic police department. 

"If we come across any problem, we try to find solutions for just next three years", Surya lamented while voicing his concern over a short-term approach to problem-solving. He also questioned the limited tenure of a mayor and highlighted that the absence of BBMP elections hampered the long-term development in the region.

Furthermore, he underlined the lack of structural stability in the BMRCL, Metro, and the Suburban Railway, and urged for the appointment of permanent managing directors in the key institutions to drive Bengaluru's progress.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, his deputy DK Shivakumar, state transport minister Ramalinga Reddy and former CM Basavaraj Bommai were among others who attended the event, which was organized to develop a comprehensive understanding of current affairs and opportunities in the state and challenges the southern region is facing.