Adani's unscheduled visit to CM Shivakumar triggers questions over tunnel project
Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani met Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar at the latter's residence in Bengaluru on Sunday, a meeting that the Chief Minister described as a courtesy visit. The unscheduled call has drawn attention because the Adani Group is the lowest bidder for the ₹17,000-crore Bengaluru tunnel road project, a key infrastructure initiative of the State government.
Government sources said Mr. Adani, who was attending a private function in Bengaluru South, dropped in at the Chief Minister's residence on his way to the airport. "It was a courtesy visit since Mr. Shivakumar took over as the Chief Minister recently," a source told reporters. Mr. Shivakumar later confirmed this, saying, "Mr. Adani paid a courtesy visit after I became the Chief Minister." He did not comment on any specific matters discussed.
The meeting comes at a time when the Adani Group has emerged as the lowest bidder for the proposed 17.1-km North-South twin tunnel road connecting Hebbal and Silk Board junction. The project is designed to ease traffic congestion on one of Bengaluru's busiest routes. According to the State government's plan, the tunnel will be built on a build-own-operate-transfer (BOOT) model, with the government contributing 40% of the project cost through viability gap funding, to be financed by a loan from HUDCO. The Adani Group is learnt to have quoted just above ₹22,000 crore for the project.
The tunnel project is significant for Bengaluru's urban infrastructure. The corridor connecting Hebbal in the north to Silk Board in the south passes through heavily congested areas, and the proposed twin-tube tunnels are expected to cut travel time substantially. The government has been pushing for the project, and the bidding process is at an advanced stage. The Adani Group's status as the lowest bidder is subject to further technical and financial evaluation, and does not ensure award of the contract.
The visit drew immediate reaction from the Opposition. Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, R. Ashok, took a jibe at the Congress, which is in power in the State. Referring to Rahul Gandhi's repeated characterization of Mr. Adani as a "BJP agent," Mr. Ashok said: "The Karnataka government has rolled out a red carpet for Mr. Adani. Have the Central Congress leaders given permission for this? So, let him advise Mr. Gandhi properly."
The Chief Minister did not respond directly to Mr. Ashok's remarks beyond reiterating the nature of the meeting. There has been no official statement from the Adani Group on the visit, and no details of any business discussion have been disclosed.
In political circles, the meeting has sparked speculation, but such interactions between industrialists and elected officials are not unusual. The fact that Mr. Adani's visit was unscheduled and brief, and that the Chief Minister himself characterised it as a courtesy call, suggests that no substantive policy or business subject was on the agenda. However, given the ongoing tender process, public accountability demands clarity on whether any project-related matters were discussed. Neither the Chief Minister's office nor the Adani Group has indicated any such discussion.
The exchange between Mr. Ashok and Mr. Shivakumar also reflects the heightened political sensitivity around business-government relations in India, particularly with respect to large corporate houses. The Congress has repeatedly accused the Adani Group of receiving undue favours from the BJP-led central government, while the BJP often questions the Congress's ties with other business interests. In this context, the opposition's criticism is part of a wider political narrative.
For now, the only confirmed fact is that a meeting took place. The Chief Minister has called it a courtesy visit, and no further details have been made public. As the tunnel project moves forward, the government and the company will likely face questions about the transparency of the bidding process, irrespective of this meeting. The onus is on both to ensure that all procedures are followed and that public interest remains paramount.
The development also comes amid ongoing efforts by the Karnataka government to attract investment in infrastructure. The state has been positioning Bengaluru as a global city, and the tunnel project is one of several major initiatives planned. While no official timeline has been announced for the final award of the tunnel contract, the process is expected to be completed in the coming months. Until then, the meeting between Mr. Adani and Mr. Shivakumar will remain a matter of public interest, with limited information available.
