PUNJAB : For 11 years, 62-year-old Gulshan Bhatia has spent two to five hours every day filling potholes, repairing damaged stretches of road and installing reflective tapes at accident-prone spots across Amritsar—all at his own expense.
He has refused to take a single penny. The reason dates back to a horrifying accident he witnessed near Khalsa College. A woman riding a scooter with her young daughter lost balance when the two-wheeler hit a pothole in the middle of the road. Both fell onto the road, and a tractor-trolley coming from behind ran over the girl, killing her on the spot. The tragedy stayed with Gulshan and changed his life forever.
While others mourned and moved on, he decided he could not remain a silent spectator. He picked up the tools himself and began filling potholes and repairing damaged stretches wherever he could. Alongside, he began installing reflective tapes at accident-prone spots.
What began as a response to grief slowly became a mission of public service. Despite Amritsar’s Smart City status, many roads continue to have potholes and damaged surfaces, resulting in accidents. Rather than wait for civic authorities to intervene, Gulshan, who runs a modest shoe shop in the Putlighar area, decided to act.
“In the last 11 years, I have approximately filled around 3,500 potholes across the city by myself and have not taken anyone’s help. Daily I see many accidents, e-rickshaws hitting potholes and falling to the side, two-wheeler riders meeting with accidents and four-wheelers getting stuck and braking suddenly to save a person who has fallen from a scooter or motorcycle,” he said.
He has also taken up the task of making roads and their surroundings more visible at night. “I have till now bought 500 bundles of reflective radiant tapes and put them on cycles, tractor-trolleys, roundabouts and also around the necks of cattle so that during the night one is able to locate them and does not meet with an accident,” he said.
Gulshan finances everything himself. He sets aside part of his earnings as daswand — the Sikh tradition of donating a portion of one’s income for a social cause—and uses it to buy construction material, reflective tape and other essentials. He estimates that he has spent around `5-6 lakh so far, although he does not keep a precise account.
“I set aside a portion of my earnings which is called ‘daswand’ and with that money I buy construction material, reflective tape and other essentials needed to fill the potholes,” he said. Many have offered to help. Some wanted to give him `1,000, while others offered construction material. Gulshan has politely refused them all.
“If I start taking money for this social cause then the whole purpose will be diluted and public will then think, I am doing it to make money, which is not the case at all,” he said.
Scorching summers, heavy rains and bone-chilling winters have not stopped him. Gulshan, who is also a singer by hobby, starts his day early and gives two to five hours to the work.
“From 8 AM to noon, depending upon the work, I fill potholes and put reflector tapes around the city,” he said.
He rides his scooter, carrying interlocking tiles, cement, sand, gravel and chemicals needed to properly repair potholes and broken roads.
Residents across Amritsar know him as the man who turns up to repair dangerous stretches without help. “Mostly I do the work myself. Few times I had to hire labour to help me as the potholes were big, so I paid the labour for that. Initially I used to locate the potholes and fill them, but slowly, as word spread about me, for the last three years now people call me and tell me to fix the damaged road in their area or locality,” he said. He receives around two to three calls every day.