Azim Premji unable to open Wipro campus to decongest Bengaluru's ORR due to challenges

Wipro founder Azim Premji has expressed the software major’s inability to allow traffic through its campus in Sarjapur citing legal, governance, and statutory challenges since it is a private property owned by a listed company, and not intended for use as a public thoroughfare.

In his reply to Chief Minister (CM) Siddaramaiah’s letter, Premji also highlighted that Wipro’s Sarjapur campus is a special economic zone (SEZ) providing services to global customers. “Our contractual conditions mandate stringent, non-negotiable access control rooms for governance and compliance’’, he said, adding that public vehicular movement through private property would not be effective as a sustainable, long-term solution.

Siddaramaiah had written to Premji last week, asking if Wipro could allow a limited stream of traffic through its campus to ease congestion on the Outer Ring Road (ORR) on mutually agreed terms and with necessary security compliances. The CM’s letter followed an extensive study by the Bengaluru traffic police, who felt that using a part of the Wipro campus would benefit commuters in a big way.

Premji, however, feels that due to the ORR problem stemming from multiple factors, there was unlikely to be a single solution or a silver bullet to resolve it.

“We believe the most effective path forward is to commission a comprehensive, scientific study led by an entity with world-class expertise in urban transport management. Such an exercise would allow us to develop a holistic roadmap of effective solutions that are implementable in the short, medium, and long term’’, Premji said. He added that Wipro would wish to be a part of the solution, and offered to fund a significant part of the costs for the study.

The Wipro founder appreciated the CM’s efforts to deal with the traffic situation along the ORR, a major export-oriented economic hub. The software major, Premji said, stood committed to partnering with the state government to find a lasting solution to Bengaluru’s mobility challenges. “We believe a collaborative, data-driven approach will yield the most impactful results for our city’’.

In his letter, the CM had said that preliminary assessment by traffic and urban mobility experts indicated that using a part of the Wipro campus could reduce congestion on adjoining stretches of the ORR by nearly 30%, particularly during peak hours.

Sarjapur road and ORR are home to major technology parks, including Wipro, RMZ Ecoworld, RMZ Ecospace, RGA Tech Park, Global Technology Park, Embassy TechVillage, Prestige Tech Park, and Pritech Park. They see a huge inflow of vehicles during peak hours.

The study by the traffic police noted that heavy congestion at Iblur junction has been due to the majority of the Sarjapur to ORR traffic using the Iblur–Kadubeesanahalli route. The congestion is also spilling into Sarjapur road up to Wipro junction. The study suggested an alternative link from Sarjapur Road to ORR, via Wipro and the Ecoworld campus.

The study added that around 2,000 vehicles would save about 14 minutes each, totalling 470 vehicle-hours during rush hour. These savings are in addition to indirect benefits from decongestion at Iblur and along Sarjapur road, according to the study.