Chief Minister travels by Metro to avoid Zero-Traffic arrangements in Bengaluru

In a bid to avoid causing inconvenience to citizens by accessing zero-traffic arrangements, Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar travelled by Namma Metro from Vidhana Soudha to Silk Institute on Sunday (June 7, 2026).

Mr. Shivakumar is visiting Kanakapura, his home turf, first time after becoming the Karnataka Chief Minister to meet and extend his gratitude to the people of his constituency.

“The CM arrived at this decision after recognising that using zero-traffic all the way from his Sadashivanagar residence to Kanakapura Road would disrupt traffic movement for the public,” a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office said.

The Chief Minister interacted with metro commuters at the station and inside the train, exchanging pleasantries. After getting down at the last station on Kanakapura Main Road, Mr. Shivakumar proceeded to Kanakapura by road.

Last week, the facilitation of zero traffic for Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot’s convoy at Wind Tunnel Junction, where underpass work is ongoing, sparked public outrage after a frustrated man staged a protest by sitting down at the junction. He claimed that his wife was pregnant and he was in the way to the hospital.

The incident triggered widespread outrage on social media, with many pointing to Bengaluru’s crumbling infrastructure, which has already made commuting difficult. They argued that VIP movement and the associated traffic restrictions were causing further inconvenience to the public. The new Home Minister, Priyank Kharge, also discussed the issue during his first meeting with IPS officers on Friday (June 5, 2026). He said they were trying to work out alternate solutions, like synchronised signals to avoid blocking other traffic.