Citizens and Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw criticise Greater Bengaluru Authority project
A civic clean-up and “beautification” project in Malleswaram has sparked a heated debate on social media after entrepreneur Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and several Bengaluru residents criticised the quality of work carried out by the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA).
The GBA had shared a video on X showcasing the removal of a black spot at Malleswaram BBMP School Road by the Bengaluru West City Corporation team, led by Assistant Executive Engineer Rekha. The post, titled “Blackspot Removal & Beautification Update”, described the project as a success and urged residents to maintain cleanliness: “The blackspot at Malleswaram BBMP School Road has been successfully removed and the area beautified… Let’s keep our surroundings clean and beautiful.”
Social media backlash
Despite the GBA’s celebratory tone, the response online was critical. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chairperson of Biocon, questioned the workmanship. Sharing the video, she wrote: “Are you really proud of this? You reclaimed the footpath but it’s still shoddily finished. Full marks for effort but please ensure good quality finishing.”
Her comment triggered a wave of criticism from Bengaluru citizens, many of whom described the work as substandard. One user commented: “The finish is worse than any poor country in the world. Couldn’t digest that GBA is this bad. Horrible work. The workers who did the job should never ever be given any job. There is no pride in their work.”
Another user remarked: “It feels like an achievement when you do what you are paid to do once in three months. That pavement is still hideous looking.” Several others questioned the very idea of celebrating such projects. One comment read: “Are we really celebrating this? Is this called beautification?” Another added: “The situation in this country is that even basic things need to be celebrated, which are actually part of the authorities’ regular work.”
Amid the criticism, a few users acknowledged that the intent behind the clean-up was positive but argued that it simply wasn’t sufficient. One user wrote: “Your efforts are good, but not enough.”
Implications for civic authorities
The incident has highlighted growing public scrutiny over civic projects in Bengaluru. Social media users are increasingly holding authorities accountable not just for initiating clean-up and beautification efforts but also for ensuring high-quality execution. Experts say that while such initiatives are well-intentioned, poor finishing or lack of follow-up work can undermine public confidence in civic bodies.
The GBA has yet to respond to the criticism, but the debate reflects a broader expectation from Bengaluru residents for consistent quality in urban maintenance and development projects.