Bengaluru: To woo urban voters before BBMP polls, the state government announced a slew of projects including granting Rs 1 lakh per ward to fill potholes. What the government failed to understand was that it costs more than Rs 1 lakh if a biker falls into it!
Entrepreneur S. Girish and his family members learnt it the hard way. On July 23, Girish was on his way to office around 1.30 pm on his two-wheeler and failed to negotiate an unexpected pothole on Banaswadi Ring Road. He fell flat, sustaining multiple fractures.
The last one week has been traumatic for Girish and his family members. Girish said, “I was on my bike and a car was ahead of me. I failed to notice the pothole and I fell on the road. I was rushed to the hospital.”
Girish was taken to M.S. Ramaiah Hospital, where he had to undergo two surgeries. “The fractures on my hand and leg were not only painful, but I also had to shell out Rs 1.5 lakh towards medical expenses. I am the sole breadwinner of the family and I am bedridden for the next one month. Who will take the responsibility for my condition,” he asked.
Girish said that despite Banaswadi ward falling under Home Minister K.J. George’s constituency Sarvagnanagar, the infrastructure is bad. “The politicians travel only in swanky cars and don’t understand the plight of people who travel on bad roads,” he lamented. Shama Rao, Girish’s father, said, “My son was not speeding or was at fault. Why was he made to pay the price?”
Just 15 km away from Banaswadi, Kumara Krupa Road, home to many political bigwigs, is without a single pothole. Not only this stretch, every road frequented by politicians is asphalted and smooth enough for luxury cars to zip through. How fair is that, asks the aam aadmi. 2,000 potholes need to be fixed
BBMP Administrator T.M. Vijay Bhaskar said that until July 20, nearly 2,100 potholes were fixed.He said that so far BBMP had spent Rs 2 crore to fix potholes. Over 2000 potholes still need to be repaired, he said.
