Azim Premji declines Siddaramaiah’s request to allow vehicular traffic via Wipro’s B’luru office

Wipro Founder and Chairman Azim Premji has declined Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s request to allow vehicular movement through the company’s Sarjapur campus, saying it is an “exclusive private property owned by a listed company.”

Allowing private vehicular movement, he said, would create “significant legal, governance, and statutory challenges.”

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The response came after Siddaramaiah had reportedly written to Premji on September 19, requesting him to consider allowing “limited vehicular movement through the Wipro campus, subject to mutually agreed terms and necessary security considerations.”

Premji, however, offered his company’s support to the Karnataka Government in finding a lasting solution to what he called Bengaluru’s mobility challenges.

“The complexity of Bengaluru’s traffic problem, stemming from multiple factors, suggests that there is unlikely to be a single point solution to resolve it,” Wipro said in a statement released to the media.

It further added: “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 support in conducting this expert study.”

Earlier this week, a logistics startup announced plans to relocate its office from Bengaluru, citing poor road conditions, potholes and dust.