India's Central Government Flags Concerns Over Bengaluru Infrastructure Plan

- The project in question is the 36.59 km Namma Metro Red Line, a part of Phase 3A intended to connect Hebbal to Sarjapur with 28 stations. - The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has returned the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the second time, stating that a road-plus-metro double-decker design along the entire corridor could undermine the fundamental objective of a mass transit system. - The Centre's specific concern is that creating parallel road infrastructure would encourage the use of private vehicles, which would in turn reduce metro ridership and lessen the project's social benefits like reduced pollution and congestion. - This is the second instance the Centre has rejected the project's DPR; the first objection was related to the high initial cost, estimated at ₹28,405 crore, which was later revised down by ₹2,920 crore following a review. - The Karnataka state cabinet had approved the initial costly proposal in December 2024, arguing the double-decker approach would speed up construction while simultaneously tackling the city's severe traffic problems. - Experts from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have supported the central government's view, with one professor calling the double-decker concept "suicidal" from a planning perspective because it diverts potential commuters from public transport. - This disagreement adds to existing friction between the state and central governments over the city's metro, including recent tensions related to metro fare revisions. - Bengaluru already has a double-decker flyover on the Namma Metro's Yellow Line, which incorporates a four-lane road flyover beneath the elevated metro rail corridor to ease traffic at the busy Silk Board junction.