CM requests Premji to open Wipro’s Bengaluru campus to ease traffic on ORR

Karnataka chief minister (CM) Siddaramaiah has written to Wipro founder Azim Premji 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 measures.

The CM’s letter follows a study by Bengaluru traffic police, who found that using a part of the Wipro campus would help ease congestion in a big way.

The CM, in his letter said that preliminary assessments by traffic and urban mobility experts indicate that such a measure could reduce congestion on adjoining stretches of the ORR by nearly 30%, particularly during peak hours.


Premji’s support would go a long way in easing traffic bottlenecks, enhancing commuter experience, and contributing to a more efficient and liveable Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said. He requested that the company’s team engage with the concerned government officials to work out a mutually acceptable plan at the earliest.

One of the key challenges that Bengaluru faces is the severe congestion during peak hours along the ORR corridor at Iblur junction, which affects mobility, productivity, and the quality of urban life, the CM said.

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 get a huge inflow of vehicles during peak hours.

The study said that heavy congestion at Iblur junction is because the majority of the Sarjapur to ORR traffic uses the Iblur–Kadubeesanahalli route. Congestion also spills into Sarjapur Road up to the Wipro junction.

The traffic police have suggested an alternative link from Sarjapur Road to ORR via the Wipro and Ecoworld campus. They have also proposed a new signal at Wipro junction to manage the traffic crossing into the campus.

This would lead to a 38% drop in travel time and increase in average speed. During the rush hour, around 2,000 vehicles would save about 14 minutes each, totalling 470 vehicle-hours. These savings are in addition to indirect benefits from decongestion at Iblur and along Sarjapur road, the traffic police study said.

Siddaramaiah and deputy CM DK Shivakumar have been holding meetings to fix potholes as well as congestion along the ORR given its importance as a software hub.

The government has come under severe attack from industry leaders including Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Mohandas Pai, and residents over the poor condition of the ORR as well as the congestion. One startup even announced it was moving out of the area. Union heavy industries and steel minister HD Kumaraswamy last week said that industries were losing faith in Karnataka and migrating to neighbouring states due to severe infrastructure issues.

The 19-km ORR stretch between Silk Board and KR Puram is home to 500-plus tech companies with close to one million high-paying jobs and annual exports worth more than Rs 1.5 lakh crore.