Bengaluru: Wipro Chairman Azim Premji Turns Down CM Siddaramaiah's Request To Open Campus Road Along ORR

Wipro founder chairman Azim Premji has declined Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's request to allow traffic to move through the company’s Sarjapur campus in Bengaluru to ease the traffic on the Outer Ring Road (ORR). According to the Wipro chairman, the property is exclusively owned by the company and cannot be opened to the public.

Earlier, the Karnataka Chief Minister had written to the Wipro founder on Friday, September 19, to explore the possibility of ‘limited vehicular movement’ through the campus, subject to mutual agreements. Traffic experts have pointed out that the urban mobility of the city and the adjoining areas could ease out by 30 per cent through such an initiative.

"Your support in this matter will go a long way in easing traffic bottlenecks, enhancing commuter experience, and contributing to a more efficient and livable Bengaluru. I would greatly appreciate it if your team could engage with our officials to work out a mutually acceptable plan at the earliest," the Chief Minister said, quoted by PTI.

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Wipro Chairman Cites Legal And Security Concerns

In response to the request made by the Karnataka Chief Minister, Premji replied on Wednesday, September 25, that while he appreciated Siddaramaiah’s visionary idea, there would be several challenges in allowing vehicular movement through the campus. According to the Wipro Chairman, public movement through the campus is not a long-term sustainable solution.

"With respect to the specific suggestion of allowing public vehicular movement through our Sarjapur campus, we apprehend significant legal, governance, and statutory challenges, since it is an exclusive private property owned by a listed company not intended for public thoroughfare," Premji said.

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The Wipro Chairman added that Wipro’s Bengaluru campus is an SEZ, serving global clients and bound by legal and contractual rules. Therefore, the company has to comply with rules and allow restricted movement within the premises.

However, he assured that Wipro is still committed to supporting the Karnataka government in finding long-term solutions to Bengaluru’s traffic problems. He stressed the need for a collaborative and data-based approach to solve the issue effectively.

Premji noted that the Outer Ring Road (ORR) is an important road for all businesses and corporate offices. However, the solution to the traffic congestion in ORR should be dealt with at several levels.

As a way forward, he suggested the government conduct a detailed study led by experts in urban transport. This study could help create short, medium, and long-term plans to improve the city’s traffic situation. He also noted that such an exercise would help to develop a holistic roadmap of effective solutions that are implementable in the short, medium, and long term.

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"To demonstrate our commitment to being a part of the solution, Wipro will be pleased to engage in this process and underwrite a significant portion of the cost for this expert study," Premji noted.

The ORR has been a nightmare for commuters, with the traffic congestion in the city a major hurdle for all the office-goers. The grim situation came to light after BlackBuck CEO and co-founder Rajesh Yabaji said on 'X' that his company would move out of the ORR (Bellandur) as the average commute for his colleagues went up by one-and-a-half hours one way.

With inputs from PTI