'Why beg Azim Premji?’: Bengaluru resident welfare groups pitch solutions to ease ORR traffic

A resident welfare group has called for action to ease ORR congestion, citing potential benefits from underutilized roads near Wipro's campus.

A resident welfare group (RWA) in Bellandur has sparked debate online after sharing a proposal on easing traffic congestion on the Outer Ring Road (ORR).

The post stressed that an extended road design connecting Sarjapur Road to the ORR is urgently needed.

Posting on X (formerly Twitter), Save Bellandur highlighted that there are two Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) roads adjacent to the Wipro campus, which are just under 1 km long but could potentially decongest nearly 38% of the 7,500 PCUs passing through the stretch daily.

The post emphasized that thousands of schoolchildren and working professionals would benefit from this improved connectivity.

The handle also highlighted that the Ejipura ramp lands just 1 km within the Iblur junction, aggravating the congestion problem for residents along Sarjapur Road. Many commuters feel trapped in traffic for hours, effectively living in their cars during their daily commute.

The post stressed that an extended road design connecting Sarjapur Road to the ORR is urgently needed to ease the gridlock and improve mobility for thousands of residents and professionals.

The group questioned why authorities are instead relying on corporate intervention, saying, “Instead we are ending up begging Azim Premji?”

The post also tagged Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah and Minister D K Shivakumar, urging action, “Nowhere in the world do you see Fortune 500 firms being asked to solve public traffic problems. If not now, when?”

This comes in response to Azim Premji’s recent letter to Siddaramaiah, in which the Wipro founder agreed to fund a scientific, expert-led study to address ORR traffic but declined requests to open his Sarjapur campus road due to legal, SEZ, and security concerns. While Premji promised collaboration and funding, the Bellandur RWA says existing city-planned roads could be a more immediate solution.

How did Bengaluru residents react?

Reactions from Bengaluru residents have been strongly supportive. One commented, “Completely agree. The CDP road was proposed about 10 years ago and still no progress. Public money wasted by politicians and bureaucrats.”

Another shared a comic strip illustrating the frustration. One person promotes carpooling and bike taxis, while another points out that the government is still begging Wipro to open campus gates.

Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.