Bengaluru: It started with a single viral post — and within 72 hours, it snowballed into the biggest wake-up call for Karnataka’s bureaucracy and political leadership.
When Rajesh Yabaji, CEO of logistics unicorn BlackBuck, hinted that his company was considering shifting office out of Bellandur’s Outer Ring Road (ORR) due to unbearable traffic, the post instantly went viral. IT professionals, startup founders, and employees amplified his frustration, making it a trending debate across Bengaluru’s digital circles. Several tech leaders weighed in, calling the ORR congestion a “nightmare that kills productivity.”
The uproar drew a swift and sharp political response. Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, Bengaluru’s guardian minister, fired back with a strong warning:
“No government can be blackmailed. We are here to serve, but IT companies cannot threaten to leave. Bengaluru is India’s Silicon Valley and no one can match it.”
His remark made headlines, drawing both criticism and support. But what followed was even more dramatic. Within 24 hours, Yabaji made a U-turn, posting a clarification:
“Bengaluru is my home. We are not leaving the city. We will only move offices to a location with better connectivity.”
A Wake-Up Call for Bureaucracy
Even as Yabaji softened his stance, the damage — and urgency — was already done. Sources in Vidhana Soudha confirmed that the post triggered back-to-back reviews among senior IAS officers.
- Two days ago, Additional Chief Secretary for Urban Development and Home, Tushar Giri Nath, inspected the Silk Board–Hebbal stretch, directing quick fixes like pothole repairs, waterlogging clearance, and road restoration after Metro works.
- Yesterday, the state’s top bureaucrat, Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh, herself led a detailed Outer Ring Road inspection, covering Silk Board, HSR Layout, Agara Lake, Iblur Junction, and Panathur Road. She pulled up officials for delays, ordered “zero pothole roads,” and promised faster white-topping and pedestrian skywalks.
A Decades-Old Neglect
The crisis has re-ignited an uncomfortable truth: Bengaluru’s infrastructure has not kept pace with its IT boom. Ever since S.M. Krishna wooed global IT giants in 1999, successive governments, regardless of party, have celebrated tech growth but ignored traffic infrastructure. Flyovers, underpasses, drainage upgrades, and road planning have lagged far behind population growth.
The result is today’s gridlock on the ORR, where lakhs of IT employees lose hours daily, businesses threaten to move, and citizens question whether India’s tech capital can sustain its own success.
The Way Forward: Dialogue with IT Tycoons
In a crucial move, Greater Bengaluru Authority Chief Commissioner Maheshwar Rao has now scheduled a direct dialogue with IT park leaders and Outer Ring Road Companies Association (ORRCA) at the IPP Centre, Malleswaram. The agenda: short-term fixes, long-term mobility solutions, and rebuilding trust with Bengaluru’s tech backbone.
“This is not just about potholes or traffic jams. It is about restoring confidence that Bengaluru can remain a world-class IT hub,” an official present at the inspection told The Bengaluru Live.
Why This Story Matters
What began as one CEO’s outburst has snowballed into a full-fledged political, bureaucratic, and civic accountability exercise. In just three days, Bengaluru witnessed:
- A viral corporate outcry.
- A minister’s combative warning.
- A CEO’s U-turn.
- High-level IAS inspections.
- The Chief Secretary herself walking the ORR.
For citizens, the hope is simple: that this chain reaction finally translates into faster, safer, and smarter roads — not just for IT corridors, but for every Bengalurean stuck in traffic each day.
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