Man takes to covering potholes after losing son in mishap

Mumbai, Feb 2: If you spot a man filling potholes with mud and small pieces of stones, don't mistake him for a crazy person as he is the father of a teenager, who lost his life in a road accident caused by a pothole.

Dadarao Bilhore does not want others to suffer his fate and hence he has embarked on a mission to cover every pothole he sees in the city.

The 46-year-old vegetable vendor from central suburbs has vowed to fill the potholes using his bare hands. Instead of using hot-mix asphalt, he uses mud with broken paver blacks and debris from construction sites to accomplish his task.

"I don't want anyone to go through the pain and anguish that I underwent after losing my only son. I know, I can't make a big difference but I am sure my work will send a strong message to those responsible for maintaining roads," said Bilhore.

Bilhore started off alone, but now he has been joined by 5 to 6 friends in his noble mission. "We sit for meeting on Sundays and plan for the entire week. After filling potholes, we carry out regular inspections and come back again if they have suffered damage," he said.

Bilhore lost his 16-year-old son Prakash in a road accident late last year in Marol area when his bike hit a pothole created by a private firm which dug up the Jogeshwari- Vikhroli Link Road (JVLR) for construction work. The teenager fell off the two-wheeler and suffered fatal injuries.

Bilhore started the task in December 2015 and said though he does not keep a count he must have filled over 200 potholes till now.

PTI