Bengaluru’s ORR companies write to GBA expressing concern over white-topping in October, WFH suggestion

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View of the Outer Ring Road (ORR) from KR Puram to Bellandur in Bengaluru on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: ALLEN EGENUSE J.

The Outer Ring Road Companies Association (ORRCA) has written to the Greater Bengaluru Authority commissioner Maheshwar Rao expressing “deep disappointment and serious concern” over the move to commence white-topping work on ORR in October 2026 , and government’s suggestion for “work-from-home” (WFH) to mitigate the impact.

On August 4, more than 100 representatives of ORR companies had attended a meeting with senior government officials, chaired by Mr. Rao.

Nearly 70% of the participants urged the government to focus on completing the metro before launching new ORR projects. Citing delays and poor infrastructure, companies said that confidence in authorities’ execution capabilities has weakened.

According to the letter accessed by The Hindu from sources, it was agreed during the meeting that work on ORR would be consultative, technically evaluated and carefully sequenced, with the metro completion as the immediate priority.

“Against this background, the proposed commencement of major carriageway works before the metro operations and before completion of the agreed technical evaluation and stakeholder consultation appears inconsistent with the understanding reached at the Townhall,” reads the letter.

The letter also expresses disappointment at the State government's suggestion of work-from-home as a means of managing the resulting traffic disruption.

Pointing out that ORR supports more than 500 companies and approximately 1.3 million employees, the association argues that WFH cannot be a substitute for effective infrastructure planning and traffic management.

“This is especially concerning given the considerable effort made by ORR companies to support and secure approval for the ₹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 notes in the letter.

ORRCA representatives and representatives of ORR companies during a meeting with government officials on August 4.