The Outer Ring Road Companies Association (ORRCA) has written to the Greater Bengaluru Authority commissioner Maheshwar Rao expressing “deep disappointment and serious concern” over the move to commence white-topping work on ORR in October 2026, and government’s suggestion for “work from home” (WFH) to mitigate the impact.
‘Inconsistent move’
On August 4, more than 100 representatives of ORR companies had attended a meeting with senior government officials, chaired by Mr. Rao.
Nearly 70% of the participants urged the government to focus on completing the Metro before launching new ORR projects. Citing delays and poor infrastructure, companies said that confidence in authorities’ execution capabilities has weakened.
According to the letter accessed by The Hindu from sources, it was agreed during the meeting that work on ORR would be consultative, technically evaluated and carefully sequenced, with Metro completion as the immediate priority.
“Against this background, the proposed commencement of major carriageway works before Metro operations, and before completion of the agreed technical evaluation and stakeholder consultation, appears inconsistent with the understanding reached at the Townhall,” reads the letter.
‘Work from home not a substitute for effective planning’
The letter also expresses disappointment at the State government’s suggestion of work-from-home as a means of managing the resulting traffic disruption.
Pointing out that ORR supports more than 500 companies and approximately 1.3 million employees, the association argues that WFH cannot be a substitute for effective infrastructure planning and traffic management.
“This is especially concerning given the considerable effort made by ORR companies to support and secure approval for the ₹450 crore ORR Improvement Programme in January 2026. The objective was a coordinated transformation of the corridor while minimizing disruption. Commencing major carriageway interventions while Metro construction remains incomplete risks undermining that objective and further constraining an already stressed corridor’” the association notes in the letter.
ORRCA representatives and representatives of ORR companies during a meeting with government officials, on August 4, 2026.
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Special arrangement
Reiterating demands
Apart from demanding that work-from-home should not be positioned as a mitigation strategy without prior consultation with the companies, the letter also asks for white-topping/major carriageway works to be kept on hold — including tendering, award, issuance of work orders, contractor appointment, mobilisation, preparatory works and physical execution — until the agreed consultation and technical evaluation are completed.
Other demands include prioritising Metro completion and operational readiness, consultation with stakeholders regarding white-topping versus black-topping assessment before a final decision, development of a comprehensive traffic simulation, diversion and construction-management plan in consultation with ORRCA and traffic police, and an urgent meeting with ORRCA before the programme is progressed further.
Tenders soon
Acknowledging the letter, Mr. Maheshwar Rao said that they would have to devise a plan to commence the works. Whitetopping in phases is an option, he added.
A source in B-SMILE, the implementing agency, told The Hindu that they are already preparing the tender documents, which are expected to be floated in the next 15 days.
“Even the plan for the service roads has been revised, and we will use the Full Depth Reclamation (FDR) technique to lay the service roads. The estimate also has to be revised, which is currently ongoing,” he said.
This is the fourth time that the civic agency has changed the plan since the DPR was readied at the end of 2025.
It is learnt from sources that a meeting was convened at the GBA to gather opinions on the technique to be used for the ORR redevelopment, where most engineers had expressed that whitetopping was better due to its longer lifespan. However, following the meeting, many citizens had batted for blacktopping, which has now been dropped from the plans.
In addition, BTP had earlier opined that whitetopping the stretch would cause severe traffic disruption and could even lead to an acute increase in travel time for commuters.
(With inputs from Chetan B.C.)
Published – August 18, 2026 06:11 pm IST
