Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], September 17 : Bengaluru-based logistics startup BlackBuck has decided to move its office out of the city's Outer Ring Road (ORR) area, citing worsening road conditions and long commute times.
The company, which had been operating from Bellandur on the ORR for the last nine years, said the deteriorating infrastructure had made it increasingly difficult for employees to continue working there.
Rajesh Yabaji, Co-Founder and CEO of BlackBuck, said the company's base in ORR had been both an "office and home" for nearly a decade. However, he noted that the situation has become unbearable due to broken roads, potholes, and dust.
In a social media post he stated "It's now very, very hard to continue here. We have decided to move out,".
According to him, the average one-way commute for employees had shot up to over 1.5 hours, severely affecting productivity and work-life balance.
Despite repeated concerns raised by citizens and businesses in the area, Yabaji said there is "Roads full of potholes & dust, coupled with lowest intent to get them rectified- Didn't see any of this changing in the next 5 years".
He added that he did not see any improvement happening in the next five years, which forced BlackBuck to take the tough decision to shift operations.
The development once again highlights the growing frustration among companies operating in Bengaluru's IT corridor.
The Outer Ring Road, which is home to several large tech firms and startups, has long struggled with traffic congestion, poor road quality, and lack of timely civic maintenance.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar had yesterday addressing mediapersons after a high-level meeting on issues related to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and five city corporations stated that the officials will be held responsible for poor civic works adding that he has directed the city commissioners to conduct inspections on a regular basis.
The Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister had earlier said that said that resolving the problems faced by people in Bengaluru would take time and asked citizens to cooperate and pay taxes regularly.
"We have to deliver, make sure every citizen is helped. All the problems of Bangalore city cannot be solved in one day. I know it takes time. Our citizens should also cooperate. They should declare their assets. They should not hide anything. They should pay taxes regularly, and they will get good governance," he had said.