Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw’s post on poor road infra, garbage management in Bengaluru triggers debate

Bengaluru: The viral post by Biocon Chief Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw over poor road infrastructure and garbage management in Bengaluru has once again triggered a debate on the Congress-led government’s handling of the IT city’s infrastructure.

Taking to social media platform X, Shaw wrote, “I had an overseas business visitor to Biocon Park who said, ‘Why are the roads so bad and why is there so much garbage around? Doesn’t the government want to support investment? I have just come from China and can’t understand why India can’t get its act together, especially when the winds are favourable?”

She also tagged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy CM and Bengaluru Development Minister D.K. Shivakumar, and IT & BT Minister Priyank Kharge in her post. Uploaded on Monday night, the post has not yet received a response from the state government or the concerned authorities.

Meanwhile, Shaw’s remarks have sparked a debate on the government’s apathy towards ensuring proper road infrastructure and effective garbage management in Bengaluru. Revathy Ashok, Honorary CEO and Managing Trustee of the Bengaluru Political Action Committee (B-PAC), stated that it is a sad reality when even the government itself begins lamenting about the garbage mafia. “Where does that leave us citizens?” she asked.

Another user, ‘The Hermit’, commented on X, “Our US-based manager told me during a one-on-one meeting that when he came to Bangalore on a client visit earlier, he saw cows, dogs, and garbage everywhere. I was very ashamed and embarrassed. Such is the bad image people carry away.”

Earlier, Padma Shri awardee and former Infosys CFO and board member T.V. Mohandas Pai had also raised concerns while addressing Dy CM Shivakumar and Minister Priyank Kharge. He stressed that the poor state of Bengaluru’s road infrastructure is not a byproduct of growth but the result of corruption and bad governance. “Can we not have roads without potholes? This is not AI work; it has been done for more than 200 years,” he remarked, while urging the newly formed Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) to act.

Pai tagged a post by author Naresh, who narrated his ordeal of travelling from the tech hub Bellandur to Bengaluru International Airport. Naresh wrote, “Travelled from Bellandur to Bengaluru airport just now. It took 1 hour 45 minutes! Insane. Plus, the roads are all dug up and pothole-ridden. Sorry to say, but I think Bangalore has the worst roads in India. This is not sustainable. It will create a host of health problems for commuters in the next 10 years.”

This is the second time that industry leaders have flagged the issue of poor road infrastructure. Both Mohandas Pai and Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw had earlier criticised the state government when a reputed IT company announced plans to move out of Bengaluru, citing bad roads.

In response at the time, Dy CM Shivakumar had categorically stated that IT companies cannot “blackmail” the government and are free to relocate if they wish. The company later clarified that it was only planning to move to another location within Bengaluru city, though the statement had already sparked controversy.

Subsequently, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Dy CM Shivakumar instructed officials to speed up pothole filling and road repair works, even carrying out spot inspections themselves. However, the repaired potholes have opened up again following heavy rains.

Minister Priyank Kharge’s recent statement that Bengaluru’s traffic problem is a reflection of growth has also sparked debate. It remains to be seen how the government will respond to the industry leaders this time.

IANS