BENGALURU: Wipro Founder Chairman Azim Premji turned down CM Siddaramaiah’s request to permit public vehicles through its campus on Bengaluru’s Outer Ring Road (ORR), to cut down traffic at Iblur Junction. Public vehicular movement through private property would not be “an effective, sustainable, long-term solution”, Premji replied in a letter addressed to the CM, dated September 24.
The IT czar, in turn, batted for a comprehensive, scientific study led by an entity with world-class expertise in urban transport management to develop a holistic roadmap of effective solutions. He also said that Wipro will underwrite a significant portion of the cost for this expert study.
To curb the severe traffic congestion at Iblur Junction on the ORR, the CM had sought Wipro’s permission to allow limited vehicular movement through its campus. In his letter addressed to Premji on September 19, the CM had said that preliminary assessments by traffic and urban mobility experts indicate that if Wipro opens its campus to vehicular movement, it could reduce traffic on its adjoining stretches by 30 per cent, particularly during peak office hours.
“As stated in your letter, urgent and effective measures are indeed required for the traffic situation, particularly along the Outer Ring Road, being an export-oriented economic hub,” Premji said in the latter.
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The problem’s complexity, stemming from multiple factors, suggests that there is unlikely to be a single-point solution or a silver bullet to resolve it,” Premji said in the letter, adding, “To this end, 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.”
“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,” he said.
Listing out reasons for declining the CM’s request to open up the Wipro campus, Premji said, “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. That apart, it will also be appreciated that our Sarjapur campus is a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) providing services to global customers, our contractual conditions mandate stringent, non-negotiable access control norms for governance and compliance.”
He ended his letter mentioning that Wipro stands committed to partnering with the Karnataka government to find a lasting solution for Bengaluru’s mobility challenges. “We believe a collaborative, data-driven approach will yield the most impactful results for our city,” he said.