The massive number of potholes that have made their appearance on Bengaluru’s roads are earning more than just people’s wrath: they are attracting sponsorships and manpower from private clubs and corporates.
Last month, employees of the telecom tower company, Indus Towers, performed a different kind of duty: filling potholes. Having heard complaints from employees about the back-breaking journeys through the monsoon, the company decided to do them and other commuters some good. They partnered with a Bengaluru-based private enterprise engaged in filling potholes, called Pothole Raja. One evening, some 40 employees got out of office and started fixing potholes. They ending up filling 16 of them on Bannerghatta Road.
They aren’t the only ones to roll up their sleeves. The ladies wing of Lions Club is preparing itself to take on the task. The Lioness Club of Bangalore Anjanadri will also be pitching in with ‘womanpower’ and funds for the initiative. “Pothole Raja will identify areas where potholes are a problem and we will sponsor the activity and participate in it in November,” said Rashmi K, president of the club. Filling a 50-mm-deep pothole costs ₹2,500.
For the Arundhathi Foundation, started by Shubhangi and Sanjay Tambwekar in the memory of their daughter Arundhati, who passed away in a road accident in Vellore in 2014, such moves are a welcome boost. “We have been filling potholes through our Project Vikram since 2015. But it is a difficult task for two people. Pothole Raja has all that is required to carry out the task, which is why we are collaborating with them,” said Dr. Shubhangi.
This year, between September and October alone, Pothole Raja received 150 calls, 80% of them for public roads. “We received repeat calls from Electronics City, Kaggadasapura, Outer Ring Road, Mysuru Road, Koramangala and Bannerghatta Road,” said Prathaap Bhimasena Rao, who started Pothole Raja.