Bengaluru Traffic Woes: Why India's Silicon Valley Faces Endless Jams? Minister Explains

Bengaluru Traffic Update: Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge recently addressed Bengaluru’s ever-growing traffic woes, suggesting the problem stems from the city's rapid pace of growth. Speaking at the India Innovation Summit "Innoverge", hosted by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in Bengaluru on October 10, Kharge reframed the city’s traffic congestion not just as a problem, but as an outcome of progress.

“Just to give you a perspective on what scale Bengaluru is growing last year, India saw an unprecedented office space increase of around 72 million sq. ft. across the top seven cities, out of which 40 per cent was in Bengaluru,” Kharge said.

Backed by statistics, the minister pointed out that Bengaluru’s economic and infrastructural boom is directly linked to the increase in traffic snarls.

ALSO READ: SC Rejects Plea Demanding CBI Investigation Into Cough Syrup Deaths In MP, Rajasthan| Here's Why

“This year, till September, we have seen office space growth close to 14.5 million sq. ft. Then we say why Bengaluru has so much traffic... We are growing rapidly,” he noted.

Kharge also emphasized the role of migration in intensifying the city's infrastructure issues. According to him, Bengaluru sees a population increase of about 2.5 per cent every year, largely driven by people moving into the city for work and opportunities.

“Bengaluru’s population is increasing by 2.5 per cent every year. The highest absorption of migration is happening here... that’s why we have infrastructural problems,” he said.

ALSO READ: Killer Cough Syrup Coldrif Not Exported To Other Nations: India Tells WHO Amid Concerns Over 20 Children's Deaths