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Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw thanks Canadian man for Bengaluru road cleanup, he says civic body deserves credit
Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw has thanked Caleb Friesen for facilitating the cleanup of a trash-filled road in Bengaluru.
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Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw has thanked Caleb Friesen for facilitating the cleanup of a trash-filled road in Bengaluru. Friesen is a Canadian national who has been living in India for the last eight years and has frequently highlighted Bengaluru’s broken footpaths and other infrastructural issues in his social media posts.
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw reacted to an X post from Friesen where he thanked the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), Bengaluru-based founder Virendra Suryawanshi and Arun Pai, who runs Bangalore Walks, for cleaning up a stretch of the Wind Tunnel Road that had turned into a garbage dumping ground.
“Thankyou Caleb for getting things done in our city. Please keep this effort going and hopefully we will have a clean city,” wrote the Bengaluru-based billionaire behind Biocon.
(Also read: Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw calls Bengaluru ‘garbage city’, shares vision of what it could have looked like)
Here’s what happened
On October 7, an X user shared a video showing garbage and debris littered on a stretch of the Wind Tunnel Road in Bengaluru. “A Bengaluru commuter has highlighted the poor condition of Wind Tunnel Road, showing a stretch littered with garbage, rubble and debris along the roadside,” read the caption.
Then yesterday, the Greater Bengaluru Authority shared before-and-after photos to show how the road had been cleaned up. “As part of the ‘Freedom from Waste’ and ‘Just Clean Bengaluru’ campaigns, Bengaluru Central City Corporation, in collaboration with India Rising Trust, undertook the removal of garbage black spots and wall beautification works along Wind Tunnel Road,” the civic body said.
“The initiative aims to eliminate garbage dumping spots in public places, maintain cleanliness and create a cleaner, healthier environment for citizens,” added the GBA.
The Bengaluru civic body cleaned up the garbage and painted the wall as part of their beautification drive.
Canadian man says ‘I didn’t do anything’
Caleb Friesen appreciated the good work in an X post.
“Update: in ~10 days, the site is unrecognisable. Trash has been fully cleared, the wall repainted, and a road curb laid down. Footpath is also being built now,” he wrote.
However, he refused to take credit for the work, instead passing the praise to GBA, Arun Pai and Anomaly founder Virendra Suryawanshi.
(Also read: Who is Caleb Friesen? Canadian man whose viral videos are making Bengaluru’s footpaths walkable again)
“Just to be clear folks, I didn't do anything here. Haven't even been to this road in many months. Just highlighting the good work of others!” the Canadian man wrote.
Suryawanshi further said that the Bengaluru road cleanup was a joint effort between the Greater Bengaluru Authority and civilians. He spoke to Arun Pai who explained that authorities first cleaned up the road, and then began to fine people for dumping garbage there.
