Poor infra around Whitefield tech-hub draws residents' ire

Those who live and work in its vicinity take to social media to run #Savewhitefield campaign

Hundreds of residents and employees working around Whitefield, technology suburb, held protests on Monday demanding better roads, lesser gridlocks and faster metro connectivity to downtown Bengaluru.

Average speed on Whitefield roads, home to the India research hubs of General Electric, German software major SAP AG, and software development centres of Tata Consultancy Services and Cap Gemini, is around 10 kmph as vehicles drive bumper-to-bumper on crater-filled roads across the suburb.

The residents ran a social media campaign #savewhitefield to highlight the issues of suburb, as lack of efficient public transport has forced many people use personal vehicles such as cars and two wheelers to commute around Whitefield and to the main city.

"Roads are in a bad condition. Traffic always comes to a standstill," says Vijay, a resident of Whitefield, who wore a black short to demonstrate his protest to authorities.

An Industries department official said a time bound plan to improve infrastructure is in the works that would be reviewed on a weekly basis. The first set of road laying began over the weekend.

Once an industrial suburb with a number of steel mills, Whitefield had few residents staying as most people used to travel from other parts of the city. Around the late 1990's, as Bengaluru began witnessing the technology outsourcing boom, these steel mills, unable to produce goods due to a power crisis, shifted to rent their premises to technology companies to house their outsourcing centres. In 1998, a joint venture between the Karnataka government, the Singapore government and Tatas - International Technology Park or ITPL began its operations further gave a boost to the suburb.

"We just want the government to improve the road infrastructure. We are not asking for the moon, but please fill the craters and ensure the roads are smooth," said Ramesh Kumar, a software engineer, who joined the protest.

"This protest is for everyone who lives, works or studies in and around Whitefield. This protest is for the children stuck for long hours in their school buses, for farmers who can't get their produce to the market, for auto-wallahs and cabbies who have to keep repairing their vehicles or refuse to drive areas, for small business owners, and also for people employed by large corporate businesses," said Zimi Jamal, an organiser in a statement. " Most importantly for all those who have suffered accidents and injuries."