After criticising Bengaluru infrastructure – pothole-ridden, garbage-strewn roads for days on end, Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw offered to fix the infrastructure in the city, Rajya Sabha MP P Chidambaram said. He appreciated her efforts while pointing out the key challenge in public works and suggesting a potential governance model.
“I noted with interest Mrs Kiran Mazumdar Shaw’s offer to fund the development of some roads in Bengaluru. A great offer! Congratulations!” said Chidambaram on X (formerly Twitter).
He emphasised that the main issue in public works is not the lack of money but execution. “But, the problem with our public works is not the lack of public money; the problem is in the execution of the public work.”
The senior Congress proposed a governance model to ensure accountability.
“Governments can tweak 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 Shaw.”
Chidamabaram said that the contractor would execute the public work, and the supervising company or the industrialist, in this case Mazumdar-Shaw, would be responsible for the quality and timely execution.
“The contractor will execute the public work (say, road). However, the supervising company or industrialist will be responsible for the quality and timely execution of the work,” he suggested, before adding, “Any penalties or cost-overruns will be borne by the supervising company or industrialist.”
Chidambaram ended his social media post by suggesting that either Bengaluru or Chennai could serve as a pilot city for implementing this model.
I noted with interest Mrs Kiran Mazumdar Shaw's offer to fund the development of some roads in Bengaluru. A great offer! Congratulations!
— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) October 22, 2025
BUT, the problem with our public works is not the lack of public money; the problem is in the execution of the public work
Governments can…
On October 18, Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar sounded receptive to the offer. He said that although the 72-year-old hasn’t floated the idea with the government, the officials would cooperate in developing the roads she chooses.
“If she wants to develop them (roads), let her do it. If she comes and asks, we will give her the roads,” ANI quoted Shivakumar as saying while he conducted the ‘Bengaluru Nadige (Walk for Bengaluru)’ program in the city’s KR Puram area.
This offer follows Mazumdar-Shaw’s earlier statement that Bengaluru’s infrastructure could be transformed with intent and a $1 billion investment.
