Metro work near my home has dragged for 10 years: Zerodha's Nikhil Kamath

Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath criticises Bengaluru traffic management and decade-long metro work near his home in conversation with city police officers on his podcast

   

In his YouTube podcast, Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath said that he believes Bengaluru gets an unfair amount of criticism for its traffic woes. Kamath was talking to two of the city’s top police officers to gain perspective on what ails Bengaluru’s traffic management. Bengaluru’s daily commutes are heavily affected by severe traffic jams, leading to substantial productivity losses.

 

“As someone from Bangalore, I’ve been a bit bothered by how much flak we get, especially about traffic. So I set out to see if the criticism is fair, and what’s actually being done about it,” Kamath said during the podcast.

 

During a conversation with Commissioner of Police B Dayananda and Joint Commissioner of Police, Traffic, MN Anucheth, Kamath identified insufficient dependable public transportation as a fundamental problem. He illustrated this with a personal anecdote, noting that the construction of the Namma Metro line in proximity to his residence has continued for almost ten years. "Near my house on Bannerghatta Road, metro construction started, I don't know, ten years ago. It’s still going on," he revealed.

 

Kamath proposed that the significant distance separating the main city from the airport contributes to the issue. “I think the one reason why it becomes so much in the news is in Bombay or Delhi, for example, the airport is close by. Here, the airport is 40-50 kilometres away. So whenever anyone lands, their first experience is a 50-kilometre drive in the city,” Kamath said during the podcast.

 

‘Even God can’t fix it’: DK Shivakumar

 

Earlier this year, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar stressed that there is no quick fix to the serious challenges caused by Bengaluru’s rapid urbanisation, not even with divine help.

 

He highlighted the importance of careful planning and efficient execution of projects, assuring that steps are being taken to develop a sustainable urban corridor for the future.

 

Bengaluru’s traffic woes

 

The congestion in Bengaluru is driven by rapid urbanisation, poor planning and insufficient public transport options. While the city has developed into India’s IT hub, its infrastructure has failed to keep pace with this rapid growth.