‘Prioritise metro’: Bengaluru firms oppose mandatory WFH to help road work

“The meeting established a clear direction that interventions on the corridor would be consultative, technically evaluated and carefully sequenced, with metro completion as the immediate priority.

“We are also deeply disappointed by media reports suggesting work from home as a means of managing the resulting traffic disruption. The ORR supports more than 500 companies and approximately 1.3 million employees and is one of Bengaluru’s most important economic and technology corridors. Work from home cannot be a substitute for effective infrastructure planning and traffic management, nor should businesses first learn through the media that they may be expected to alter their operations because of public infrastructure works.

“This is especially concerning given the considerable effort made by ORR companies to support and secure approval for the Rs 450-crore ORR Improvement Programme in January 2026. The objective was a coordinated transformation of the corridor while minimising disruption. Commencing major carriageway interventions while Metro construction remains incomplete risks undermining that objective and further constraining an already stressed corridor,” the association’s letter read.

Urgent meeting, detailed assessment and comprehensive plan

According to the association, the IT companies along ORR generate $22 billion in annual revenue. The association called on the GBA to convene an urgent meeting with it on the road work.

The association requested that all actions relating to the proposed white-topping work be kept on hold until the agreed consultation and technical evaluation are completed. It wants the white-topping versus black-topping assessment—including construction duration, traffic impact, lifecycle considerations, execution methodology, and phasing—to be presented to stakeholders before a final decision.

Further, the association wants the GBA to develop a comprehensive traffic simulation, diversion and construction-management plan in consultation with it and the traffic police.