POTHOLES ALL THE WAY DOWN BANGALORE ROADS.

Kindergarten teacher, Uma Ramanan came under the wheels of a speeding petrol tanker in Thubarahalli, Whitefield, when she lost control of her scooter while trying to avoid a pothole. Her death has left behind a grieving family. Broken roads and potholes in the city are as much a threat to pedestrians as they are to motorists. This problem has plagued Bangalore for as long as time can tell.  Here at St Joseph’s College of Commerce, the LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT CELL in association with the editorial, FOUNTAINHEAD, has taken the initiative to bring awareness on this particular subject. As rightly said by Bhavesh Kr Mintri, Director of LDC,  “LDC does not aim at just creating leaders for the corporate or business organizations, but also leaders with concern for the society and individuals who will take initiative towards problems around them and act on the same. Every problem has a solution, but first you must accept that there is a problem and that is why we decided to bring this issue of potholes and broken roads to light.” 

Trouble gone unnoticed

    As part of the ACCIDENTS REPORT 2014, 970 people were either injured or lost their lives in Karnataka due to potholes and damaged roads. Illegal speed bumps with no proper strategic placement are also a hazard to the people of this city. While poor maintenance by road-owning agencies is the main reason behind potholes contributing to crashes, many say there is a lack of uniformity and no standard design for speed breakers on most roads.

WATCH OUT FOR THIS.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Based on a survey taken in 2015, there are around 50 to 60 potholes between the Church Street and Cantonment Station. The number of accidents that have taken place in this particular stretch has increased over the years. Motor cyclists often state that accidents happen when they fail to see the pothole or try to avoid it. The uneven pavement in addition also makes it extremely difficult for pedestrians to walk. Deadlines have gone by, but more than a third of the city’s potholes still haven’t been filled.  The use of substandard materials may be speculated as these potholes seem to be exposed again after a significant increase in rains. 

    A proper framework of communication must be put into place to ensure these issues are properly dealt with. A better system than what is in place must be adapted now because there are too many people involved. Too much bureaucracy slows down the decision making process, increases corruption and nepotism and thus slows down the work. At the end, the citizens suffer. However, repairing the worn out portions of roads, cracks on surfaces, material scraped out around speed breakers, sunken surfaces , mainly found at junctions, turns and speed breakers are time consuming and difficult.

To change is to be aware.TEAM LDC.

Although Road Maintenance has begun tarring the roads, a lot of work is left to be done. Main roads and streets with no obstacles are needed, especially during the dusk hours when accidents are more prone to happen. With rash drivers speeding the streets, better road will help to decrease the number of fatalities and thus make Bangalore a safer city.