Video of woman fixing pothole sparks B'luru debate

Bengaluru

A video of a woman, frustrated by Bengaluru’s pothole menace, taking it upon herself to fill a pothole with soil after allegedly receiving no response from civic authorities has gone viral. The incident has struck a chord with many resi dents, who say they relate to her frustration over the city’s deteriorating roads. Sharing the video on line, she criticised the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), calling the incident a reflection of poor civic governance.

 While her action could potentially invite legal consequences, many viewed it as a symbolic protest against a long-standing deeper civic issue. Potholes and damaged roads have remained a recurring concern across Bengaluru for years. Apart from causing inconvenience to commuters, poor road conditions have resulted in numerous accidents, serious injuries and, in some cases, fatalities.

Civic officials and urban governance experts have expressed contrasting views on the incident. “People are undermining the efforts of the GBA by doing such things and claiming that the corporations are not doing their job. We are currently facing several field-level challenges, including shortages of aggregates and other resources, which people must understand. We conduct regular road inspections and immediately instruct engineers to carry out repairs whenever damage is identified.

However, it is difficult to cover every road and every pothole at once”, said Kumar (name changed), a Chief Engineer from GBA, speaking to News Trail. He maintained that videos of citizens repairing roads for social media attention should not be interpreted as evidence that civic agencies are neglecting their responsibilities. Kumar also argued that the media often focuses on viral videos portraying the GBA negatively while overlooking the large scale repair and mainte nance work undertaken by the civic body.

Offering a different perspective, Kathyayini Chamraj, Executive Trustee of CIVIC-Bangalore, said the woman’s act highlighted the failure of civic authorities to re spond proactively. “We are all driven to wards self-help because of misgovernance. Her action makes a strong point in a clever way - it draws attention to a pothole that engineers have missed. It is a novel form of protest. Instead of merely complaining, she repaired it herself, demonstrating how helpless citizens have been made to feel”, she said.

Chamraj added that the incident highlights how the ‘paid employees’ (she said, describing civic officials) are failing to listen to residents’ com plaints about damaged roads and potholes. “They will only inspect the issue after a grievance is filed. It is not the responsibility of residents to constantly remind authorities to do their job. Civic agencies should identify and address such problems proactively”, she said. She further noted that pothole-related complaints are often more effective when raised collectively through Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), which can take up the matter during Ward Committee meetings.

“Complaints submitted through RWAs carry greater weight because they represent the concerns of a larger number of residents in a locality. That often results in quicker action”, she said, encouraging citizens to use RWAs and Ward Committee meetings as platforms to seek timely road repairs.