The 'hole' of shame claims its first victim

Bangalore, July 23: Monsoon is arriving and the streets in Bangalore are water-logged. Pedestrians and motorists are in constant danger of accidents, thanks to the holes in the city.

One can find innumerable holes on the city roads on a single stretch from Old Madras Road to Jayanagar, leave alone the other routes. Yes, there are repair works going on, but most of them are patchworks, most unlikely to be able to face the incessant rains that the city receives each day.

Think of it, if it is raining and there is hardly any sun, the patch work can be easily washed away with every rain. As a result, a bumpy roller-coaster ride to office. The media, people, pedestrians and passerbys-all have complained, but the BBMP seems to have turned a deaf ear to everyone.

Authorities can easily put the blame on monsoons, but were these holes (as big as craters in some cases) not visible to the BBMP before the rainy seasons? Then probably, it is ageing since it could not even see the daily newspapers, highlighting the woes of the people and the drivers here.

In Bangalore

Bangalore potholes project a sorry face of the city, which is considered the industrial hub of the nation.

In Bangalore

Bangalore potholes project a sorry face of the city, which is considered the industrial hub of the nation.

Bangalore potholes project a sorry face of the city

Bangalore potholes project a sorry face of the city, which is considered the industrial hub of the nation.

In Bangalore

Bangalore potholes project a sorry face of the city, which is considered the industrial hub of the nation.

In Bangalore

Bangalore potholes project a sorry face of the city, which is considered the industrial hub of the nation.

Well, we would be wrong in saying that the hoopla did not stir anyone, at least after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced patching up and re-construction of the pockmarks. Roads were dug, patches were made, but it looked more like a 3D motif on some designer apparel the other day.

Reason being, the work was done the entire previous night under the headlights of a van. Obviously, the alignment and the levelling of the road went wrong, resulting in uneven streets causing pedestrians to stumble.

The holes in the middle of the roads are like graveyards, which not only put the life of passer bys at stake, but also the drivers of heavy vehicles and cars. Imagine one of them getting a tyre stucked in one of these holes and the traffic coming to a grinding halt as BBMP takes its own time to tow it down.

Pedestrians especially run the risk of being mowed down while crossing roads and maneuvering the holes at the same time. Take the case of peanut seller Lakshmidevi who lost her life today at the P K Lane crossing. She came under the wheels of a bus as the driver was too busy to bypass the huge pothole that adorned the place. While this is just the first incident, there would be more in future if the authorities still choose to turn a blind eye.

OneIndia News