Biocon chief Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw on Wednesday denied having made any offer to support the remaking of Bengaluru roads, a subject that had sparked a social media debate between her and Karnataka deputy chief minister D.K. Shivakumar.
“The media fabricated this news,” Shaw wrote in her reply to former Union minister P. Chidambaram, who had welcomed the idea.
“I have never offered to repair the road as is being suggested. I am amused that one journalist’s question to the deputy chief minister whether he would consider my supposed offer to repair roads seems to have transitioned into mainstream media news. No fact checking? Really sad to see this and people like you being made to comment,” Shaw wrote in her comment.
For days Shaw and the Congress leaders in Bengaluru had a heated debate on accountability of road construction in India, which has been a major concern and occasional embarrassment for the country, sometimes turning into jokes and memes.
The poor quality of road is, to be fair, not limited to Congress-ruled Karnataka.
Citizen Shaw’s outrage on the road had irked many Congress supporters even outside Bengaluru, resorting to whataboutery on the roads in BJP ruled states.
On Tuesday, Shaw reached out to the Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah and DKS.
The courtesy meeting was assumed to be a call of truce between the parties concerned and would have ended there.
On Wednesday morning Chidambaram wrote Shaw had made a great offer.
“I noted with interest Kiran Mazumdar Shaw’s offer to fund the development of roads in Bengaluru. A great offer. Congratulations. But the problem with our public works is not the lack of public money; the problem is in the execution of the public work.”
Chidambaram suggested Siddaramaiah-DKS to accept the Biocon chairperson’s offer.
“Government’s can tweak her idea: public money, tender etc can be followed to select the contractor. After selection, the contractor will be placed under the supervision of a willing company or industrialist like Shaw.”
Chidambaram had a suggestion for the industrialists as well.
“The contractor will execute the public work. However, the supervised company or industrialist will be responsible for the quality and timely execution of the work. Any penalties or cost-overruns will be borne by the supervising company or industrialist.”
For now maintenance of roads remains with the government.