A day after Gautam Adani met Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, Karnataka passed two amendment bills that effectively clear legal obstacles for the Bengaluru North‑South Twin Tunnel. Petitioners denounce the move as retroactive regularisation of violations.

  • Karnataka legislature passed two amendment bills
  • The tunnel project is now deemed approved despite earlier legal challenges
  • Petitioners label the changes as retroactive regularisation

Gautam Adani, chairman of the Adani Group and the lowest bidder for Bengaluru’s North‑South Twin Tunnel, visited Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar at his residence. Within 24 hours, the Karnataka government introduced two amendment bills that remove the legal roadblocks that had stalled the project.

The first, Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2026, grants deemed approval to all projects launched after the BMLTA Act of 2022 but before the BMLTA Rules were notified on July 3, 2026. Three public‑interest litigations (PILs) in the High Court argued that the tunnel lacked the mandatory Section 19 approval. With the amendment, the tunnel is now “deemed approved”.

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The second, Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) (Amendment) Bill, 2026, permits alienation of up to 5 % of park and garden lands for public purposes. The tunnel requires one acre of Lalbagh land and six acres temporarily for construction—uses previously barred by the Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) Act, 1975. The amendment clears that hurdle.

Both bills cleared the state cabinet on Friday and were passed in both houses on Monday, amid vocal protests from BJP and JD(S) legislators who chanted slogans such as “carpet for Adani, biscuit for Bengaluru public”. They accused the government of moving closer to the Adani chairman in connection with the tunnel project.

Why This Matters

BozokMedia analysis shows that these legislative shortcuts not only reshape Bengaluru’s urban mobility landscape but also set a precedent for fast‑tracking private‑public infrastructure deals, potentially weakening judicial oversight in future projects.

"Such amendments erode judicial scrutiny and place corporate interests above public welfare," says independent urban mobility expert Satya Arikutharam.
Did You Know?: The BMLTA Act of 2022 remained unenforced for two years because the Authority was never constituted, leaving many major projects in limbo.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: Will the tunnel road project proceed without any further legal impediments?

A: The statutory amendments give it de‑facto approval, but the three pending PILs in the High Court still control the final contractual authorisation.

Q2: What is the impact of using Lalbagh land for the tunnel?

A: While the amendment allows up to 5 % park land alienation, environmental groups warn that the loss of green space could affect Bengaluru’s ecological balance.