Bengaluru: Half a dozen scaled startup operators told TOI they have no plans to move their headquarters away from Bengaluru’s Outer Ring Road (ORR), even as poor road conditions and long commutes are emerging as a serious concern for companies in the tech corridor. The executives, who did not want to be named, said shifting operations at scale is not currently on their agenda despite the strain.BlackBuck co-founder Rajesh Yabaji said this week his company would leave Bellandur after nine years, citing daily commutes of more than 90 minutes and roads “riddled with potholes and dust.” His comments have sparked debate among policymakers, investors and entrepreneurs on the future of the city’s largest tech hub.Andhra Pradesh IT minister Nara Lokesh publicly invited Yabaji to consider relocating to Visakhapatnam. “We are rated among top five cleanest cities in India, are building best-in-class infra, and have been rated the safest city for women,” Lokesh posted on X.Industry leaders have called for immediate intervention from Karnataka govt. “This is serious. Emergency measures needed to fix these issues,” Biocon executive chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw said, tagging deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar. Executives said leaving ORR altogether is complicated. A co-working space developer noted that micro-markets such as ORR and Mumbai’s Andheri are already facing extremely low vacancies. “The 8-km stretch is a gold mine of talent. The ecosystem is here. Other belts are hardly ready to take scaled workforces.” While moving northwards can halve rents, they added: “founders can’t expect all their employees to move bases, away from their spouses’ work locations and children’s schools. It’s not fair.”Some see scope for a gradual shift. “There was a time when Indiranagar and Koramangala were the top spots for startups, then that moved to HSR, and when HSR became unsustainable, folks started to move to Bellandur. There could be another moment of reckoning where people now start moving to create a newer micromarket, maybe North Bengaluru,” a senior executive at a startup said.Others stress that companies are already adjusting work practices. A unicorn executive said infrastructure concerns are now a recurring topic in internal meetings. “Like others in this vicinity, we also offer flexibility in terms of when you can log in and when you can log out. Even walking to the office has gotten risky around these parts given the open drains and no demarcated footpath.”Reacting to the criticism, Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) chief commissioner Maheshwar Rao acknowledged the concerns and explained the challenges the civic body is facing. “We admit that there are problems along the Outer Ring Road. Because Metro construction work is under way, it has been difficult to carry out large-scale pothole-filling operations,” he said. Rao pointed out that rains have worsened the situation. “Every time it rains, fresh problems appear. In some areas, the tar that has been freshly laid is washed away. Moreover, a large number of commuters are using service roads like main roads, which puts additional stress on the infrastructure,” he said.With thousands of employees concentrated along ORR, the balance between retaining access to talent and addressing worsening civic conditions is becoming one of Bengaluru’s most pressing challenges.
