Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw fumed over gutka stains outside a Bengaluru metro station, again pointing to the lack of civic sense in the city.
Shaw re-shared a video by user X that showed the tobacco-stained pavements outside the Malleshwaram metro station, putting the onus on auto drivers.
Angered by the visual, Shaw said: “Unfair practices that need to be exposed and heavily fined.”
The original post claimed that it was a scene from “outside Malleshwara metro station…made by Karnataka car Walas standing in front of the metro”.
Last month, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw slammed the Bengaluru administration for poor infrastructure and a declining sense of accountability in the city.
Since then, she has consistently raised her concerns as a citizen and even met Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar to discuss an action plan to address key infrastructure bottlenecks in Bengaluru.
Here’s how netizens reacted:
Shaw’s post sparked a wide-ranging debate online as Bangaloreans echoed her concerns and vented their frustration at the city’s deteriorating civic sense.
“This is not about one metro station, it’s about habits. There are so many Auto Sanghas, but no effort to educate the members about civic hygiene. I have seen this countless times, not only at metro stations but across the roads. As a common pedestrian, I have argued about it, friends often say ‘don’t argue’, but this neglect has become normalized by a social media user.”
Another added: “We should start charging Pan and Gutka for this. They make money and the tax payers pay for the cleanup!”
“BMRCL claims the area under its stations as its property and no honking zone. Not kept clean, running water under Yeshwantpur station, filth around Malleswaram station, overflowing bins at soap factory. Dirt and Namma metro seem synonymous. Clean inside, dirty outside,” commented a user.
A netizen pointed out that due to the regular rains in the city, citizens hardly see the gutka stains, but now, since it has been several days since the last watering, these stains are everywhere.
“Mostly due to constant rains we are not able to see the gutka stains. Now the rain has created a small gap. I see gutka stains everywhere including metro station lifts, FOBs, roads, footpaths etc. It is high time to ban the sale of gutka. Red rangolis are disgusting on the roads,” said a netizen.
One user suggested: “The country needs a ‘No Spitting’ rule – awareness programs, fines. And maybe a guthka ban.”
