Bengaluru's infrastructure crisis: DK Shivakumar responds to Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw's call for change

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw's social media post on Bengaluru's infrastructure has led Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar to pledge for reforms.

A public call for action on Bengaluru’s worsening infrastructure has once again sparked a conversation at the highest levels of Karnataka’s government, with Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar pledging that long-overdue reforms are finally on the way.

DK Shivakumar responded to Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw's social media post about Bengaluru's growing infrastructure woes and emphasized the need for collaboration and political will to address waste management, road maintenance and urban development challenges in the city.

The trigger this time was a post on social media by Biocon chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, who lamented the city's deteriorating civic conditions despite its global reputation. In her message, she praised the city's talent and climate but called out its poor urban upkeep.

“Namma Bengaluru has the best talent and the best weather but the worst infrastructure - if we fix garbage debris and roads, we can be among the best cities in the world. GBA has a great opportunity to do this. Let’s use collective will to do this,” she wrote, tagging DCM Shivakumar and the BBMP.

Shivakumar responded directly to her appeal, acknowledging that while the city’s potential has never been in doubt, political inaction had held it back. "Agree with you, @kiranshaw avare, Bengaluru has always had the talent, the weather, and the spirit. What it lacked was political will. That’s exactly what we are fixing now," he replied.

In a statement following the exchange, Shivakumar elaborated that the state government is tackling issues such as waste management, road maintenance, and unplanned development with what he called “purpose and urgency.” He highlighted the GBA as a key player in the government’s blueprint to overhaul the city’s infrastructure, emphasizing collaboration across all sectors.

“To the citizens, government, businesses, and civil society: This is the time to come together and shape a new chapter for Namma Bengaluru. The future is ours to build - together!” he wrote further.

Several residents also chipped into the conversation, sharing their own experiences and ordeals with the city's infrastructure.

“Also one of the worst thing is Civic Sense. Bengaluru was never like this when I was a kid. Lane discipline, garbage free, pothole free, good auto drivers. We need strict discipline to maintain all these. Fear needs to instated in everyone. Corruption is at peak,” wrote a social media user on X.