AP’s IT minister woos BlackBuck after co-founder’s 'moving out of ORR' message

“ORR (Bellandur) has been our ‘office + home’ for the last 9 years. But it’s now very, very hard to continue here. We have decided to move out,” BLackBuck CEO Yabaji tweeted.

Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh IT Minister Nara Lokesh on Wednesday invited online trucking platform BlackBuck to shift its operations to Visakhapatnam after the company’s co-founder flagged “worsening infrastructure and commute issues” in Bengaluru.

BlackBuck Co-Founder and CEO Rajesh Yabaji, in a post on X on Tuesday, said the company had decided to vacate its office in Bellandur on Bengaluru’s Outer Ring Road (ORR), citing poor commuting conditions and crumbling road infrastructure.

“ORR (Bellandur) has been our ‘office + home’ for the last 9 years. But it’s now very, very hard to continue here. We have decided to move out,” Yabaji wrote.

He said average one-way commute time for employees had crossed 1.5 hours, worsened by pothole-ridden roads, dust and what he described as the government’s “lowest intent to get them rectified”. He added that he saw no change “in the next five years". 

Responding to the post, Lokesh wrote on X: “Can I interest you in relocating your company to Vizag? We are rated among the top five cleanest cities in India, are building best-in-class infra, and have been rated the safest city for women. Please send me a DM.”

It was not immediately clear whether Yabaji had responded to the invitation.

This is not the first time that Lokesh has reached out to Bengaluru-based entrepreneurs.