Several CEOs, including BlackBuck’s Rajesh Yabaji, are reportedly considering relocating their businesses from Bengaluru due to frustrations over infrastructure, traffic congestion, and perceived government inaction. Yabaji announced BlackBuck’s departure from its Bellandur office after nine years, citing lengthy commutes, poor road conditions, and a lack of anticipated improvement.
Top takeaways
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BlackBuck is moving out of Bellandur (Bengaluru ORR) after 9 years, citing hazardous roads, endless commutes, and productivity loss.
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Wave of industry angst: Media and IT leaders are amplifying warnings about “death-trap” roads as accidents and commute delays mount.
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Government response: Karnataka has recently cleared ₹1,100 crore for city road repairs; critics say fixes are too slow.
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Inter-state wooing begins: Andhra Pradesh IT minister Nara Lokesh publicly invited BlackBuck to shift to Visakhapatnam.
News Brief
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Company & CEO | BlackBuck; Rajesh Yabaji |
| Move | Exiting Bellandur/ORR zone after 9 years |
| Reason cited | Potholes, dust, long & unsafe commutes, operational hit |
| Govt action | ₹1,100 crore road revamp sanctioned in Bengaluru |
| New pitches | AP’s IT minister invites BlackBuck to Visakhapatnam |
| Why it matters | Highlights infrastructure risk to India’s tech capital |
What triggered the flashpoint?
BlackBuck’s co-founder & CEO Rajesh Yabaji announced plans to vacate the Bellandur office (Outer Ring Road), blaming the worsening road infrastructure and punishing commutes that hurt employee well-being and productivity. Multiple outlets reported his decision followed months of deteriorating conditions on the ORR stretch, a key IT corridor.
The move instantly fed a larger narrative: Bengaluru’s roads are “death traps.” Weeks of media coverage documented potholes, barricaded craters, and open drains turning routine travel into a safety risk—especially during monsoon bursts.
NDTV’s report today underlined the symbolism: after nine years, a high-profile logistics tech startup is choosing to leave its ORR base because getting to work safely and on time has become too uncertain.
How business leaders and governments reacted
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IT & startup voices: Prominent founders and executives have been vocal on social platforms and in interviews about Bengaluru’s daily commute hellscapes linking lost man-hours, missed meetings, and safety incidents to poor road upkeep.
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Karnataka government: Recently approved ₹1,100 crore for an accelerated road repair program across the city; yet on-ground coverage shows that danger spots persist, including around VIP corridors.
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Inter-state competition: Sensing an opening, Andhra Pradesh IT minister Nara Lokesh publicly invited BlackBuck to shift operations to Vizag, promising smoother governance and infrastructure.
Why CEOs are losing patience
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Safety & liability: Repeated reports of pothole-linked accidents elevate employer duty-of-care concerns.
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Productivity drain: Extra 30-90 minutes lost per employee on peak days (as reported qualitatively by firms) compounds into real output and morale hits; ORR gridlocks are notorious. (Synthesis from coverage.)
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Talent experience: Candidates and senior leaders increasingly factor commute pain into job or relocation decisions risking Bengaluru’s edge in attracting top tech talent.
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Optics & predictability: When CEOs themselves post about craters and dust, it signals systemic risk to boards and investors.
What’s next for BlackBuck and Bengaluru?
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BlackBuck’s relocation: Reporting indicates a move out of Bellandur/ORR is underway; the company hasn’t publicly confirmed its new address, but the decision is final per CEO communications cited in multiple outlets.
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Bengaluru’s repair plan: The ₹1,100-crore package targets priority corridors and “white-topping” expansions; implementation speed and quality control will decide whether other companies follow BlackBuck.
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State-vs-state race: Andhra’s quick pitch to BlackBuck may pressure Karnataka to showcase faster, verifiable fixes or risk a slow trickle of corporate exits from the city’s eastern tech belt.
This announcement intensifies a broader industry debate over Bengaluru’s deteriorating road infrastructure, with several technology leaders characterising major corridors as “death traps,” particularly during the monsoon. Karnataka has cleared a ₹1,100-crore repair programme and promised accelerated works, but business groups say dangerous stretches on the ORR remain, causing delays and accidents. In a sign of inter-state competition, Andhra Pradesh IT minister Nara Lokesh publicly invited BlackBuck to relocate to Visakhapatnam. BlackBuck has not indicated a full exit from Bengaluru; the immediate move concerns its ORR hub. The episode underscores rising duty-of-care and talent-attraction concerns among employers and places pressure on city authorities to deliver durable, time-bound fixes to retain corporate confidence.
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