'Made Our City Filthy': Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw Slams Bengaluru Civic Body Over Garbage Crisis

Biocon Executive Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw has once again flagged Bengaluru’s garbage management crisis, sparking a conversation over civil negligence and accountability.

In a post on X, Shaw criticised

the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) for its failure to manage garbage and debris, describing the city as “filthy” due to a combination of civic negligence and the lack of competent waste management systems.

She further appealed for cooperation from residents. She also called for better equipment and training for pourakarmikas, the civic workers tasked with keeping the city clean.

“A combination of lack of civic sense and the incompetence of @bbmp in managing city garbage and debris has made our city filthy. Citizens must cooperate by not dumping garbage and creating ugly dark spots. Pourvakarmikas need to be given better equipment and training to keep our city clean. Zonal commissioners need to take ownership of SWM,” Shaw said in a post on X.

A combination of lack of civic sense and the incompetence of @bbmp in managing city garbage and debris has made our city filthy. Citizens must cooperate by not dumping garbage and creating ugly dark spots. Pourvakarmikas need to be given better equipment and training to keep our…

— Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (@kiranshaw) September 23, 2025

Her remarks come at a time when the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) is rushing to fix potholes and roads across the city. The issue has also taken a political turn after Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar recently claimed that Bengaluru is being unfairly targeted over potholes.

The viral post unleashed a wave of agreement and further complaints from Bengaluru’s residents. Many shared specific examples of civic neglect.

One user highlighted the situation in Banashankari, describing it as unhygienic and a pedestrian’s nightmare. “The entire Banashankari main road from near the metro station to Kadirenahalli is covered in filth,” they wrote.

Others pointed to systemic failures in waste management. A commenter suggested a scientific approach to transfer points between wards to prevent them from becoming “black spots” again. They also urged Dry Waste Collection Centres (DWCC) to accept a wider variety of waste.

Last week, the Biocon Chief slammed the authorities after the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) shared a video showing before-and-after images of garbage removal and footpath restoration in Malleswaram, but it was as filthy as before.

The video, shared by the GBA, had highlighted the clean-up of an area outside the BBMP school, where residents had been dumping trash. While the GBA praised its own efforts, many pointed to shoddy finishing and poor quality of the work.

“Are you really proud of this? You reclaimed the footpath, but it’s still shoddily finished. Full marks for effort, but please ensure good quality finishing,” she had said.

Earlier in July, when Bengaluru was ranked as the fifth dirtiest among major Indian cities in the Swachh Survekshan 2025, Mohandas Pai had expressed his disappointment, calling it a “big shame” for the city and the state.