Pothole? An artist sees something fishy there

A mermaid emerged from a pothole at a busy junction on Friday morning.

Yes, you heard it right.

People on the way to work glanced at her and then did a double take. It then dawned on them she was part of an artistic protest against bad roads.

Artist Badal Nanjundaswamy, known for his art activism, conceptualised the protest, and chose the intersection of Kamaraj Road and Cubbon Road for it.

He used paint to give the pothole a pond-like look, and invited actor Sonu Gowda to dress up in green mermaid attire.

“Potholes have caused many accidents in the city. Some people have lost their lives,” he told DH.

Sonu said she was also concerned about deaths caused by potholes.

“I wore this attire to draw the attention of the civic authorities and encourage them to fill up the potholes,” she said.

Earlier this week, chief minister Siddaramaiah set a 15-day deadline for the BBMP to fill up potholes.

Machines went about fixing potholes in the suburbs, and on the Outer Ring Road near Peenya.

AAP campaign

Elsewhere, Aam Aadmi Party announced a campaign against potholes.

Called ‘Siddanna Siddanna Raste Gundi Mucchanna’ (Siddanna, Siddanna, Fill Up Potholes), it will begin on October 14.

Shantala Damle, party convenor in the state, told reporters, “The palike spends crores to fill up potholes every year. Yet, because of the poor quality of work, roads are in a bad shape.”