Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw calls Bengaluru 'filthy', forces urban neglect into spotlight

A blunt social media post by Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw on the deteriorating state of Bengaluru’s cleanliness has struck a chord with residents, thrusting the city’s civic failings into sharp focus.

In her message on X, the prominent business leader levelled criticism at both citizens and civic authorities. Bengaluru, she wrote, had been reduced to a “filthy” city because of “a combination of lack of civic sense and the incompetence of @bbmp in managing city garbage and debris”.

A combination of lack of civic sense and the incompetence of @bbmp in managing city garbage and debris has made our city filthy. Citizens must cooperate by not dumping garbage and creating ugly dark spots. Pourvakarmikas need to be given better equipment and training to keep our…

— Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (@kiranshaw) September 23, 2025

While appealing for residents’ cooperation, Mazumdar-Shaw also urged investment in better equipment and training for pourakarmikas, the frontline civic workers tasked with maintaining the city’s hygiene.

Her remarks, reported by Hindustan Times, triggered a flood of agreement and complaints from frustrated citizens, many of whom posted examples of neglect across the city.

One resident described Banashankari as “unhygienic” and a “pedestrian’s nightmare”, noting that the stretch from the metro station to Kadirenahalli was “covered in filth”. Others pointed to deeper flaws in waste management, with one user calling for a more scientific approach to transfer points between wards and urging Dry Waste Collection Centres to expand the categories of waste they accept.

The conversation quickly widened from litter to accountability. “It is high time that we make government departments accountable for work,” one commenter declared.

Concerns also extended to infrastructure. A user flagged the lack of proper pavements and lane markings even on Outer Ring Road, lamenting that the “highest tax-generating city in the country” was being neglected.

Mazumdar-Shaw’s intervention has landed at a politically sensitive moment, as the Greater Bengaluru Authority scrambles to address mounting complaints over potholes and broken roads. Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar recently defended the city, as per a report by HT, insisting that Bengaluru had been unfairly singled out. Even areas near the Prime Minister’s residence in Delhi, he argued, were not free from potholes.