Industry veterans urge govt to intervene after BlackBuck's decision to move out from current place

Bengaluru, Sep 17 (PTI) Industry veterans in Bengaluru have urged the state government to immediately intervene after online trucking platform BlackBuck decided to move out of its current location at Bellandur on Bengaluru's Outer Ring Road (ORR), citing commuting and road infrastructure issues.

The ORR, which is one of the IT corridors in the city, often witnesses traffic congestion.

Reacting to the development, former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai termed it a "big failure" of governance in Bengaluru and sought intervention of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, IT Minister Priyank Kharge and Greater Bengaluru Authority Commissioner Maheswar Rao in this regard.

"Minister D K Shivakumar please see, cos are moving out of ORR. Situation beyond hope. Please intervene," he said in a post on 'X' on Tuesday.

Biocon Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw urged Shivakumar to take emergency measures to fix these issues.

"This is serious. Emergency measures needed to fix these issues @DKShivakumar," she said in a post on 'X'.

On Tuesday, BlackBuck Co-Founder and CEO Rajesh Yabaji said in a post on 'X': "ORR (Bellandur) has been our "office + home" for the last 9 years. But it's now very-very hard to continue here. We have decided to move out." "Background: Average commute for my colleagues shot up to 1.5+ hrs (one way). Roads full of potholes & dust, coupled with lowest intent to get them rectified. Didn't see any of this changing in the next 5 years," he added.

Meanwhile, Krishna Kumar Gowda, General Secretary, Greater Bengaluru IT Companies & Industries Association said, the association expresses deep concern over the continued infrastructure neglect along ORR, exemplified by slow-moving traffic, endless potholes, and unreliable commute times.

"The decision of leading firms to move out highlights the urgent need for government intervention. We call for a transparent roadmap to improve roads, metro connectivity and public utilities, and reiterate our willingness to collaborate with authorities to restore Bengaluru's status as the tech capital of India," he said in a statement.

Deputy CM and Bengaluru Development Minister Shivakumar on September 14 had said the city is set for a major push in road development with Rs 1,100 crore allocated for repair and construction.

"We are committed to ensuring every constituency benefits from these funds and to building smooth, pothole-free roads across the city," he had said. PTI AMP KH