Biocon chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, former Infosys CFO TV Mohandas Pai, and other industry leaders will be joining the Karnataka government’s advisory committee on Bengaluru, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said on October 26.
The move comes after several days of public debate over the city’s deteriorating infrastructure and criticism from business leaders on civic issues.
According to a statement from Shivakumar’s office, the decision followed a dinner meeting with entrepreneurs held on October 25 to discuss the city’s challenges. The meeting was attended by Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) Chief Commissioner M Maheshwar Rao, Bengaluru Business Corridor Chairman LK Atheeq, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Mohandas Pai, and former JD(S) spokesperson Tanveer Ahmed, among others.
In recent weeks, both Kiran and Pai had criticised the state of Bengaluru’s infrastructure, including potholes, traffic congestion, and garbage management. Their comments drew sharp reactions from Congress ministers, who urged the corporate leaders to contribute to the city through CSR initiatives rather than public criticism.
Following the meeting, Kiran said on X that she had a “very constructive meeting” with Shivakumar and that an action plan was agreed upon to “fix key infra bottlenecks in roads, Outer Ring Road (ORR), Peripheral Ring Road (PRR), drainage, traffic and garbage.”
Speaking to reporters on October 26, Shivakumar said that the industrialists had offered several suggestions for improving the city. “We discussed many issues, Mohandas Pai, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, and others offered excellent suggestions for the city’s development. I have included them in the main advisory committee. They are taxpayers and citizens of Bengaluru, their voices must be heard,” he said.
He also remarked that public criticism of Bengaluru’s problems often attracts international attention and that development efforts must operate within the “legal framework” of a democratic system.
Pai praised Shivakumar’s leadership and the creation of the GBA, calling it a major reform in urban governance. “The Deputy Chief Minister’s approach to meeting citizens, understanding their issues, and finding solutions reflects true political leadership,” Pai wrote on X. “You have completed the largest urban reform for any Indian city in decades by creating GBA! We look to the future with hope,” he added, tagging Kiran and other business leaders in his post.