Shivakumar urges industry leaders to stop ''hurting'' Bengaluru amid criticism over roads, traffic

Bengaluru, Oct 15 (PTI) Faced with mounting criticism from industry leaders over Bengaluru’s infrastructure woes, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday urged them to stop "hurting" the city and the state that have contributed to their growth.

Shivakumar, who also holds the Bengaluru Development portfolio, appealed to industry leaders not to forget their "roots"— Bengaluru, Karnataka, and its people—and asked them to be patient, stressing that "there is a limitation for everything." The state government has faced sustained criticism over the city’s poor roads and traffic congestion.

Biocon chief Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw recently reignited the debate by sharing on 'X' a visiting overseas business executive’s scathing remarks on Bengaluru’s infrastructure.

Quoting the visitor, Shaw wrote: "Why are the roads so bad and why is there so much garbage around? Doesn’t the Govt 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 tagged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar, and IT/BT Minister Priyank Kharge in her post.

Responding to questions on such remarks, Shivakumar said, "Making such posts is (like) killing themselves. They are hurting their own country and the state that helped them. Where were they 25 years ago? It is this Bengaluru that has contributed everything to them. If they want to hurt themselves, it’s left to them." Speaking to reporters, he asserted that the government was doing its best to address the city’s infrastructure challenges.

Highlighting new initiatives, Shivakumar said that under the Greater Bengaluru Authority, the East Corporation alone would retain Rs 1,673 crore of its own revenues to directly improve infrastructure in 50 wards, particularly benefitting IT corridors.

He also said the government was formulating a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policy. "Let them (industries) declare what they are giving, who is giving, and where that money is going. Let them come out with details on what they are doing," he said.

"I don’t want to question them, but they should have patience. If they want to tweet, blackmail, or threaten us, it’s left to them," he added, describing the Karnataka government as "progressive and positive." Referring to PM Narendra Modi’s remarks calling Bengaluru a "global city", Shivakumar said, "They are working against the prime minister; they are working against the state." In what appeared to be a veiled response to Shaw’s comparison with China, the Deputy CM said, "This is not China; there is a democratic setup here. China has communist rule — they can break any road and do whatever they want. In Karnataka and India, you cannot do that. Will they (industry leaders) allow their own properties to be demolished for road widening? No one will allow it." "There is a limitation for everything. Let them be patient. They should remember how they have grown and where they came from. If you forget the root, you will not get the fruit. The root is Bengaluru, Karnataka, and its people," he said.

Declining to comment on Andhra Pradesh IT Minister Nara Lokesh’s reported remarks taking a dig at Bengaluru’s infrastructure, Shivakumar said there was "no match" for Karnataka and its capital in terms of infrastructure, human resources, innovation, and startups.

"Twenty-five lakh engineers are working here, and two lakh foreigners are working here. We contribute 39–40 per cent of revenue to the central government," he said, adding that industry leaders across the world were in touch with the state government.

"Many companies that were earlier functioning from rented spaces now want to set up their own campuses in the city. That is the strength of Bengaluru. There is no match for Bengaluru in the entire country," he added. PTI KSU SSK ADB