Last week, in the dark of the night and amidst light rain, near Mangaladevi, a figure could be seen alighting from an autorickshaw, carrying a sack. He emptied the sack, filled with stones, into the potholes. The autorickshaw driver, Mahabala Shetty, said that he had been filling the potholes on the Mangaladevi-Yemmekere Road as they were dangerous for both vehicles and people. While the thought of filling the potholes had been there on his mind for some time, what triggered him into action was the sight of a woman motorist who almost fell off the vehicle when the scooter hit the pothole.
Mr. Shetty said that he thought of beginning with the potholes near his house. Though it is nothing like a correctly-repaired pothole, he fills the pothole with construction debris bringing it on the same level as the road.
Ajith Hegde, Commissioner, Mangalore City Corporation (MCC), said he was not aware of Mr. Shetty’s efforts. “(About) that, I don’t know”. He said the Corporation has started filling potholes in some areas such as Kudroli Temple road. For others, the Corporation has sought time till the rains stop.
