Wipro founder and chairman Azim Premji has declined Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s request to allow public vehicles to pass through the company’s Sarjapur campus, but offered support for a long-term, expert-led solution to Bengaluru’s traffic congestion.

In a letter to the chief minister, Premji stated that the campus’s status as a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) renders it unsuitable for a public thoroughfare.

"With respect to the specific suggestion of allowing public vehicular movement through our Sarjapur campus, we apprehend significant legal, governance, and statutory challenges since it is an exclusive private property owned by a listed company not intended for public thoroughfare," Premji wrote.

He added that contractual conditions governing the SEZ mandate “stringent, non-negotiable access control norms” and stressed that opening the campus would not be a “sustainable, long-term solution.”

Instead, Premji proposed a comprehensive, scientific study led by experts in urban transport management to identify practical remedies for traffic bottlenecks along the Outer Ring Road.

"The problem’s complexity, stemming from multiple factors, suggests that there is unlikely to be a single point solution or a silver bullet to resolve it," he said.

"The most effective path forward is to commission a comprehensive, scientific study… To demonstrate our commitment, Wipro will be pleased to underwrite a significant portion of the cost for this expert study," Premji wrote.

Wipro has also nominated senior executive Reshmi Shankar to coordinate further with the government.

Bengaluru, particularly the Outer Ring Road corridor that houses major IT firms, has been battling crippling traffic snarls, prompting appeals for corporate cooperation in easing congestion.