<p>Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Friday described the city’s worsening traffic as a natural outcome of its rapid growth, calling it a “good problem to have” while stressing the urgent need for solutions. </p><p>Speaking at the ‘Mobility Symposium 2025’, the Minister for Electronics and IT/BT said that the city’s expansion in population, jobs, and business opportunities has inevitably put pressure on roads and transport infrastructure, making effective planning and government intervention crucial.</p><p>“75.5 percent of Bengaluru’s population is working and young. We are number four globally in this regard. Yes, we have traffic issues because we are growing, but we need to solve them,” Kharge said. “As a government, we cannot just say growth is the reason and ignore the problem.” </p><p>Highlighting the city’s economic expansion, Kharge noted that nearly 77.92 million sq ft of office space was sold to global capability centres in the top seven cities last year, with 47 percent in Bengaluru. He added that until September this year, around 14.5 million sq ft was sold for global capability centres alone. </p>.Air India Express launches direct flights from Bengaluru to Jeddah, Riyadh, and Kuwait.<p>According to Kharge, Bengaluru absorbs the highest number of migrants due to job creation. The city now has approximately 1.2 crore registered vehicles, including 82 lakh two-wheelers and 25 lakh cars, with nearly 7 lakh added last year.</p><p>On addressing traffic, Kharge said there are only two options: restrict vehicle registrations or improve infrastructure. “The latter is clearly the better choice,” he said, stressing that fast-growing cities worldwide face similar issues and that government intervention is essential. </p><p>His remarks come amid criticism over poor roads and worsening traffic. Industry leaders, including former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai and Biocon Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, have urged the state government to act, especially after BlackBuck announced plans to relocate from Bellandur due to commuting and road infrastructure challenges.</p><p><em>(with inputs form PTI)</em></p>
<p>Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Friday described the city’s worsening traffic as a natural outcome of its rapid growth, calling it a “good problem to have” while stressing the urgent need for solutions. </p><p>Speaking at the ‘Mobility Symposium 2025’, the Minister for Electronics and IT/BT said that the city’s expansion in population, jobs, and business opportunities has inevitably put pressure on roads and transport infrastructure, making effective planning and government intervention crucial.</p><p>“75.5 percent of Bengaluru’s population is working and young. We are number four globally in this regard. Yes, we have traffic issues because we are growing, but we need to solve them,” Kharge said. “As a government, we cannot just say growth is the reason and ignore the problem.” </p><p>Highlighting the city’s economic expansion, Kharge noted that nearly 77.92 million sq ft of office space was sold to global capability centres in the top seven cities last year, with 47 percent in Bengaluru. He added that until September this year, around 14.5 million sq ft was sold for global capability centres alone. </p>.Air India Express launches direct flights from Bengaluru to Jeddah, Riyadh, and Kuwait.<p>According to Kharge, Bengaluru absorbs the highest number of migrants due to job creation. The city now has approximately 1.2 crore registered vehicles, including 82 lakh two-wheelers and 25 lakh cars, with nearly 7 lakh added last year.</p><p>On addressing traffic, Kharge said there are only two options: restrict vehicle registrations or improve infrastructure. “The latter is clearly the better choice,” he said, stressing that fast-growing cities worldwide face similar issues and that government intervention is essential. </p><p>His remarks come amid criticism over poor roads and worsening traffic. Industry leaders, including former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai and Biocon Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, have urged the state government to act, especially after BlackBuck announced plans to relocate from Bellandur due to commuting and road infrastructure challenges.</p><p><em>(with inputs form PTI)</em></p>
