BlackBuck CEO cites traffic, potholes for quitting Bengaluru; Lokesh invites shift to AP

Amaravati: Yet another time, Bengaluru’s pothole-ridden roads, worsened by heavy rains and poor maintenance, have triggered a debate on social media, prompting Andhra Pradesh IT Minister Nara Lokesh to invite a company to relocate their office to Andhra Pradesh.

Appeal over social media

In a post on X, Rajesh Yabaji, CEO of Blackbuck, a company based on Bellandur Outer Ring Road, raised his concern over poor roads. Founded in 2015, Blackbuck is India’s largest digital trucking platform.

“ORR (Bellandur) has been our ‘office + home’ for the last 9 years. But it’s now very-very hard to continue here. We have decided to move out,” he wrote on X.

Long commute and bad roads

In his statement, Rajesh listed his reasons to move out:

- Average commute for my colleagues shot up to 1.5+ hrs (one way)

- Roads full of potholes and dust, coupled with the lowest intent to get them rectified

- Didn’t see any of this changing in the next 5 years.

Andhra Minister’s relocation post

Responding to his post, Nara Lokesh weighed in on the issue, asking him to relocate to Vizag.

“Hi Rajesh, can I interest you in relocating your company to Vizag? We are rated among top 5 cleanest cities in India, are building best-in-class infra, and have been rated the safest city for women,” Lokesh replied to his post.

Rajesh's post has triggered a debate on social media with many Bengalureans supporting him for the poor roads in the city. Some of the netizens from Telangana suggested him to relocate to Hyderabad.

Karnataka DCM orders road repairs

As per some sources, after Rajesh's post and criticism on social media, Karnataka’s deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar has ordered contractors to repair potholes across Bengaluru by November 2025.

“Bengaluru’s roads are getting the attention they need, and repair work is already underway. Funds have been allocated contractors have started work and have been given strict deadlines. We are committed to providing our people with safer and smoother travel,” he posted on X.

AP vs Karnataka

This is not the first time Lokesh has invited companies from Karnataka to relocate to Andhra Pradesh.

In July 2025, after Karnataka withdrew plans to acquire farmland for an aerospace park near Bengaluru, Nara Lokesh extended an open invitation to aerospace companies to consider Andhra Pradesh as an option.