India, Nov. 5 -- Bengaluru's much-discussed 34-km fully underground Inner Ring Metro (IRM), once touted as a game-changer for easing traffic in the city's core, has been quietly shelved.

Despite being backed by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and included in the Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) 2020, the project did not find a place in Namma Metro's Phase 3 expansion, effectively putting it on indefinite hold, Moneycontrol reported.

The IRM was designed to serve the city's busiest corridors, linking commercial hubs, educational zones, and dense residential pockets through a circular underground network.

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According to IISc's prelim...