Azim Premji Declines CM Siddaramaiah’s Request to Open Wipro Campus for ORR Traffic Relief
Bengaluru, 26th September 2025: Wipro founder and chairman Azim Premji has declined Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s proposal to allow public vehicles to pass through the company’s Sarjapur Road campus, citing legal and operational constraints. The campus is located along the heavily congested Outer Ring Road (ORR), which houses over 500 tech firms and 43 tech parks.
In a letter to the Chief Minister on Thursday, Premji explained that opening the campus to public traffic is not feasible. “Allowing public vehicular movement through our Sarjapur campus poses significant legal, governance, and statutory challenges, as it is private property of a listed company, not intended for public passage,” he wrote.
He also highlighted that the Sarjapur facility operates as a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) serving global clients, and strict access control norms are mandatory for compliance and governance. “Public traffic through a private property would also not provide a sustainable long-term solution to the congestion problem,” Premji added.
Instead of permitting access, Premji offered to contribute substantially to a scientific study aimed at devising a comprehensive solution for ORR traffic management. “The issue is too complex for a quick fix. We believe the most effective approach is to commission a study by experts in urban transport management, which can develop a holistic and implementable roadmap. Wipro is willing to fund a significant portion of this study,” he said.
The request from Siddaramaiah, made on September 19, was based on preliminary traffic assessments suggesting that limited access through the Wipro campus could cut congestion on nearby ORR stretches by up to 30% during peak hours. “Traffic snarls on the ORR have severely affected mobility, productivity, and overall quality of urban life,” the Chief Minister had noted.
