'Bengaluru, hang your head in shame': Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw compares city's roads to Ecuador's streets

Her remarks quickly triggered a wave of reactions online.

Biocon chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw on Thursday strongly criticised Bengaluru’s deteriorating infrastructure, comparing the city’s streets to those in Ecuador. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), she shared a video of the well-maintained stone roads in San Cristobal Island, Ecuador, and expressed her disappointment over Bengaluru’s condition.

"Clean and well-designed streets in San Cristobal Island in Ecuador. Bengaluru, hang your head in shame," she wrote, tagging the official X handle of the Special Commissioner of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).

Clean and well designed streets in San Cristobal island in Ecuador. Bengaluru hang your head in shame @BBMPSWMSplComm pic.twitter.com/Aqcl11Up8a
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (@kiranshaw) March 26, 2025

Her remarks quickly triggered a wave of reactions online, with many users echoing her concerns, while others offered different perspectives.

Several users agreed with Mazumdar-Shaw’s criticism, pointing out Bengaluru’s persistent civic issues. Others, however, suggested that comparisons should be drawn with Indian cities that have better infrastructure rather than a country as distant as Ecuador.

One user wrote: "Just visit Mysore, Indore, Surat, Rajkot to make the point! Ecuador is too far."

Responding to this, Mazumdar-Shaw justified her comparison, saying: "Yes, but the point is that even Ecuador, which is a developing country, is well maintained by the local municipality."

Another user highlighted Ecuador’s economic status, stating: "Ecuador's GDP per capita sits closer to $7,000... I get your point though. Here's hoping civic sense and responsibility towards local governance come in the next few decades."

A third user referenced Colombo, Sri Lanka, as another example of a well-maintained city, commenting: "Ma'am, please visit Colombo… it’s a 45-minute flight from Bangalore, you can start walking from the airport."

Others placed the blame on the overall governance and civic responsibility in Bengaluru.

"The overall ecosystem is crippled. Right from the municipality to the people—basic civic etiquette is missing, and there is no filling that empty bucket," wrote one user.

Another user criticised BBMP directly, remarking: "BBMP has mistakenly taken the target to make Bengaluru a Garbage City. Everywhere you turn, you will see garbage dumped."

Some users went further, attributing the city's infrastructure crisis to unregulated development and corruption.

"In Bengaluru, capitalists, in collusion with corrupt politicians and officials, have illegally encroached on lakes, waterways, and public spaces. This unchecked greed is a major cause of the city's infrastructure mess—ironically, the same people now shame Bengaluru," one user alleged.

This is not the first time Mazumdar-Shaw has raised concerns over Bengaluru’s infrastructure. Previously, she criticised BBMP for failing to clear garbage from the city's streets.

In a separate post, she shared a video on X showing a long stretch of the Outer Ring Road lined with waste. Expressing her frustration, she described the sight as “disgusting” and urged the Bengaluru civic body to swiftly clean up the “ugly mess.”