Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Mohandas Pai support Bengaluru protests for better roads: 'Valid demand'

This, however, isn't the first time that the Bengaluru-based business leaders have spoken up against the city's poor infrastructure. Both Mazumdar-Shaw and Pai often take to X to highlight such issues.

Business leaders Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Mohandas Pai have voiced their support for a protest in Bengaluru against poor quality roads. The IT capital of the country has been notorious for its crater-filled roads and traffic snarls, prompting the Biocon chairperson and Infosys co-founder to ask the authorities to improve the roads.

Pai on Wednesday shared a video on X showing citizens holding placards and protesting on a pothole-ridden road as motorists struggled to drive by. "People protesting about bad condition of road, unfinished works," he wrote tagging the deputy chief minister of Karnataka, DK Shivakumar.

People protesting about bad condition of road, unfinished works @DKShivakumar @rk_misra pic.twitter.com/UFMwPbbv9C
Mohandas Pai (@TVMohandasPai) March 5, 2025

Mazumdar-Shaw retweeted the video and wrote, "A very valid and legitimate demand by Bengaluru residents."

This, however, isn't the first time that the Bengaluru-based business leaders have spoken up against the city's poor infrastructure. Both Mazumdar-Shaw and Pai often take to X to highlight such issues.

Last October, Pai slammed the Karnataka government for the poor condition of roads, drainage, and traffic on Bengaluru's Outer Ring Road (ORR) which is causing anger among multinational companies that have offices in the area. He said that if the government does not take steps to improve the conditions, these companies may consider opening offices in cities outside the state.

His comments came after several parts of the city were flooded following heavy rainfall. Bengaluru had faced a similar condition last week when rains led to waterlogged streets and traffic congestion that lasted for hours and brought the city to a standstill.

"Lack of action by Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah, [deputy chief minister] DK Shivakumar, and [IT-BT minister] Priyank Kharge on roads, drainage, and traffic on ORR is leading to huge anger and is forcing many MNCs to seriously consider expanding outside city. Promises made by CM, and DCM are repeatedly not upheld, trust down. This is very serious," he wrote on X.

Around the same time, Mazumdar-Shaw took to X to recommend that Bengaluru civic body Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike adopt scientific designs to build roads, similar to what the Electronics City Industrial Township Authority (ELCITA) has been doing.

"ELCITA designs roads scientifically and BBMP engineers need to adopt this," she said.