Post BlackBuck Exit, Karnataka Govt Sets November Deadline To Fix Bengaluru Roads

Right after BlackBuck’s exit from Bengaluru, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has given contractors a deadline of November to fill potholes in the city.

"Since a clean Bengaluru and smooth traffic are our goals, GBA (Greater Bengaluru Authority) will provide relief from potholes as soon as possible," tweeted Shivakumar, who heads the Bengaluru Development Ministry.

In addition, black topping of 182 roads, covering 349 km has been ordered at the cost of Rs 694 crore, according to the post. This comes after his earlier announcement on Sept. 14 that Bengaluru would receive a major push in road development, with Rs 1,100 crore allocated for repair and construction projects.

Earlier on Tuesday, BlackBuck Co-Founder Rajesh Yabaji shared on X that the company has decided to move out of its ORR (Bellandur) office after nine years. Yabaji said the decision was taken as the average commute for his colleagues shot up to over one-and-a-half hours one-way.

"Roads are full of potholes & dust, coupled with the lowest intent to get them rectified. Didn’t see any of this changing in the next 5 years (sic)," he wrote on social media.

Bellandur was one of Bengaluru's first localities to see rapid growth in office and residential spaces, becoming home to global IT giants. However, it is notorious for broken roads, clogged drains, and crumbling infrastructure. Despite generating the highest revenue for the city's civic body, this locality continues to suffer from poor infrastructure.

After Yabaji's post, Infosys' former chief financial officer Mohandas Pai, also took to the social media platform and said, "Big big failure of governance in Bengaluru." He tagged Bengaluru Development Minister and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and said, "Please see, cos are moving out of ORR. Situation beyond hope. Please intervene (sic)."

Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw reacted by re-posting Pai's post on X. "This is serious. Emergency measures needed to fix these issues," she wrote on X.

Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Minister Lokesh Nara invited Yabaji to relocate his company's office in Vizag.

"Hi Rajesh, can I interest you in relocating your company to Vizag? We are rated among top 5 cleanest cities in India, are building best-in-class infra, and have been rated the safest city for women. Please send me a DM," he wrote on X.