Premji Rejects Siddaramaiah’s Request To Open Wipro Sarjapur Campus For Public Traffic

Wipro founder and chairman Azim Premji has turned down a request from Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to allow public vehicular access through the company's Sarjapur campus, citing legal, operational, and security constraints.

In a letter dated September 19, the Chief Minister had proposed limited public access through the Wipro-Ecoworld link road to ease traffic congestion at Iblur junction along Bengaluru's Outer Ring Road (ORR), a key IT corridor. Preliminary studies by traffic experts suggested the move could reduce congestion by up to 30%, with Bengaluru Traffic Police simulations projecting a 38% drop in travel time during peak hours.

Responding to the proposal, Premji acknowledged the severity of Bengaluru's traffic woes and emphasized the need for a comprehensive, scientific study led by global experts in urban transport. He offered Wipro's financial support for such an initiative and reaffirmed the company's commitment to collaborating with the government on long-term mobility solutions.

"With respect to the specific suggestion of allowing public vehicular movement through our Sarjapur campus, we apprehend significant legal, governance, and statutory challenges since it is an exclusive private property owned by a listed company not intended for public thoroughfare," Premji claimed.

"That apart it will also be appreciated that our Sarjapur campus is a SEZ providing services to global customers, our contractual conditions mandate stringent, non-negotiable access control norms for governance and compliance. Moreover, public vehicular movement through private property would not be effective as a sustainable, long-term solution," Premji added.

Premji explained that Wipro's Sarjapur campus, designated as a Special Economic Zone (SEZ), is bound by strict access control norms due to contractual obligations with global clients. He noted that opening the campus to public traffic would pose governance and compliance challenges and would not serve as a sustainable solution.

To facilitate further dialogue, Premji appointed senior executive Reshmi Shankar to coordinate with state officials on future mobility initiatives.

"The problem's complexity, stemming from multiple factors, suggests that there is unlikely to be a single point solution or a silver bullet to resolve it. To this end, 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 underwrite a significant portion of the cost for this expert study," Premji said.