IT companies in Bengaluru urged to give 15 lakh employees WFH option as city grapples with water crisis
Now, many legal luminaries and water experts have also been suggesting the Karnataka government to encourage WFH measures till the city tides over the water crisis. Speaking at a recent event, Justice K Sreedhar Rao, former acting chief justice of the high courts of Karnataka and Assam, proposed a short-term solution of implementing work-from-home policies, particularly for the approximately 15 lakh IT workers in Bengaluru. Justice Rao reasoned that allowing work-from-home arrangements for a year could result in around 10 lakh people could result in around 10 lakh people returning to their hometowns, thereby alleviating some pressure on Bengaluru's resources.
Justice Rao remarked that in the 1980s, the city's population was between 25 to 30 lakh, whereas now it has surged to over 1.5 crore. Even as the state of Karnataka faces three years of drought 2003-04, the impact wasn't felt as severely due to the lower population density at that time. He also suggested measures like desilting of lakes.
Many netizens also agree with Justice Rao's suggestions. «Work from home (WFH) is the way to go at the onset. This will contribute actively towards water conservation. People would shift back to their hometowns, reducing the pressure on Bengaluru,» said an user.
Another user said: «IT companies has to give WFH to migrant employees to go to their native place and do the remote job till summer ends. This will help Bengaluru people to survive.»
Some netizens said that WFH measures, like during the pandemic, should be
