Owing to massive confusion among employees in the IT sector, the Karnataka government has issued a clarification about an earlier advisory issued to Information Technology companies located on Bengaluru’s Outer Ring Road. In wake of metro construction work starting along the Outer Ring Road for the Airport line, the state government on August 21 had issued a note to IT companies situated near the ORR. The note issued to the National Association of Software & Service Companies (NASSCOM), said those offices situated on the stretch between Silk Board and KR Puram should consider extending the work-from-home option for its employees until December 2022.
Owing to the high concentration of tech parks in the stretch, the ORR is now referred to as the tech corridor. The note had reasoned that the ORR, despite having six lanes and service roads, is infamous for its perennial traffic congestion. "The ORR, despite having six lanes and service roads, is infamous for its perennial traffic congestion. In the COVID-19 pandemic situation, with employees of IT companies working from home (WFH), it has provided some relief to traffic movement on ORR. However, with the start of metro construction on ORR, it would be extremely difficult to manage traffic movement on ORR especially if IT companies resume work from office," the note had said.
Further it asked companies to encourage bus usage for daily commute to minimise the congestion problem. In wake of the note, many employees of these firms asked if the rule was binding and if they could head back to their homes or work from remote locations for an extended period of time.
Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Electronics, Information Technology and Biotechnology, EV Ramana Reddy (IAS) in a new note on August 24 said that the note dated August 21 was only an advisory and was shared for the benefit of the industry. The new note said, “This is to clarify that the letter from the department cited under subject above is issued for information about the planned construction work and it is to be treated only as an advisory for the consideration of the industry.”
He added, “BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) and DULT (Directorate of Urban Land Transport) are being requested. to ensure all pre-construction activities are completed before the construction phase to ensure companies can return to office in a seamless manner.”