October 22, 2025 (Punjab Khabarnama Bureau) : Congress leader P Chidambaram on Wednesday reacted to Biocon chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw’s proposal to fund the road development project in Bengaluru, and offered a take on how the idea could be executed.
While Chidambaram called the idea “great”, he also argued that not funds, but the execution of the public work was the actual problem. In a lengthy tweet, Chidambaram detailed how he thinks the Karnataka government should tweak the Biocon chairperson’s idea.
“Governments can tweak Mrs Shaw’s idea: Public money, tender, etc. can be followed to select the contractor. After selection, the contractor will be placed under the supervision of a willing company or industrialist like Mrs Shaw,” Chidambaram wrote.
The Congress leader reasoned that while the contractor would be executing the public project, citing roads as an example, the final responsibility of the work’s quality would lie with the supervising company.
“Any penalties or cost-overruns will be borne by the supervising company or industrialist. Chennai or Bengaluru will be an appropriate place to experiment the idea,” Chidambaram concluded.
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw recently intensified her criticism of Bengaluru’s infrastructure woes, particularly the city’s poor roads, traffic congestion, and garbage mismanagement.
In a recent tweet, Shaw had detailed how a foreign business visitor to Biocon Park raised questions on the condition of roads and garbage management in the city.
Her remarks got a strong rebuttal from Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar who said Shaw was welcome to take up the job herself. “If she wants to develop them (roads), let her do it. If she comes and asks, we will give her the roads,” he said during his “Bengaluru Nadige” (Walk for Bengaluru) programme in KR Puram.
While she had been at loggerheads with Shivakumar, the two seemed to have resolved their issues on Diwali, when they discussed “Bengaluru’s growth, innovation, and the path ahead for Karnataka’s growth story.”
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw has always been vocal about potholes, flooding, and traffic gridlocks in India’s tech capital.
Summary:
Congress leader P. Chidambaram praised Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw’s proposal for Bengaluru’s road development but added concerns, suggesting improvements and long-term planning for sustainable urban infrastructure.