JOIN USFor motorists, potholes are now a deadly daily nightmare
With a 44-year-old losing his life to a pothole accident near Herohalli, the spotlight is back on the criminal negligence of road maintenance across Bengaluru.
Over the past week, multiple videos have surfaced on social media of pothole accidents taking place across the city.
Nivedita B, 42, recently met with an accident near Kumara Krupa Road. “While we were heading back home from a wedding late at night, our car hit a pothole right in the middle of the road. Since it was raining and the road was not well lit, we couldn’t see the pothole. I hit my head on the dashboard and was severely bruised,” she says.
When she was parked by the side, trying to recover, she noticed another car crash into the same pothole. “It is sad that we are waiting for accidents and deaths to fix the road,” she says.
HBR resident Sariya Kazia is wearing a neck brace for the foreseeable future as a result of an accident last Wednesday.
“Returning home from Benson Town, I couldn’t take the usual route as roads were blocked due to rains and construction. I ended up taking a route I wasn’t familiar with, and while exiting a bridge near Millers Road, I hit a pothole, and that led to a severe muscle spasm in my neck,” she says. The homemaker and mother of three had to cut out solid foods from her diet for days after the accident. “It was not possible for me to swallow. Incredibly painful,” she tells Metrolife.
Banaswadi-resident Sara was pillion riding on a two-wheeler on Friday, opposite Orion Avenue. “There is a deep pothole right there and the road is broken at different places, like all across the city. It was raining and we almost fell off the bike,” she recollects. Lalith Karthikeyan, 22, faced a similar situation in Sahakarnagar two days ago.
Goodbye cycling?
Gurudeep Tonse, 44, is yet another victim of a pothole accident. “I usually commute on my bicycle. Recently, I had a pretty bad fall near the Circle Maramma Temple in Malleswaram as I was trying to navigate past the pothole-filled road with no street lights. I have a broken tooth, busted lip and 10 stitches on my jaw,” he recalls. If the condition of the roads does not improve, he plans to quit cycling. “I will have no option but use my car or bike, despite the fact that I enjoy cycling and it is way better for the environment,” he says.
Pothole-fixing NGO gets 30 SOS calls every day
PotHoleRaja, Bengaluru-based NGO, has been receiving complaints through calls and social media about bad roads since the rains began in May. “On an average, we get 30 calls every day. While we can’t help with fixing flooded roads, we have been trying to fix as many potholes as possible,” Sourabh Kumar, co-founder, tells Metrolife. The group estimates it has fixed 220 sq m of potholes across the city in August. The situation is particularly bad this monsoon, as there have been more fatalities compared to previous years, he says. Sourabh urges people to step up and help fix the problem. “While it’s true that government and civic authorities fix city roads, just complaining won’t help. We urge people to volunteer with us, come on ground and actually prevent gruesome accidents,” he says. PotHoleRaja can be contacted on 81476 84653.
Recent fatalities
On August 22, Suprith J died in the hospital. He fell from his motorcycle after hitting a pothole in Herohalli on August 18.
On March 14, 27-year-old Ashwin K Jodige died from a pothole accident near his home in MS Palya.
40-year-old Sharmila Prakash, a pillion rider, died after a truck ran over her on Magadi Road on January 30.
Last year, on November 27, Azeem Ahmed, a 21-year-old food delivery executive died after he lost balance while navigating a pothole.
47-year-old S Anandappa died after falling into a trench dug by the BWSSB near Hessarghatta on Sept 17, last year.