MANGALURU: Led by a 72-year-old, a motley bunch of civic activists and local businessmen hit the streets of Mangaluru to wage a battle against a menace which plagues theirlives every day -- potholes. Fed up with the apathy of civic authorities, the group managed to fix as many as 40 potholes at major junctions of the city on Thursday. Senior citizen Gilbert D’souza was joined by 98-year-old Joe Gonsalves, a senior traffic warden; Arjun Mascarenhas, a civic activist, 50-year-old Naseer and a few other concerned citizens.
Potholes in the junctions of Pumpwell Circle, Bendoorwell, Kankanady, MG Road and other areas were filled up with the help of workers in a few hours. Traffic police supported the group by ensuring that it did not effect vehicular movement.
Gilbert said, “We will continue this in the days to come so that citizens will be benefited.” Fed up with inaction by the authorities, he stressed that this initiative was necessary for the safety of people.
A city-based businessmen, Abdul Rauf Puttige, provided concrete, sand and other material to fill up the potholes as a temporary measure. The efforts of this group of citizens is being widely appreciated by the commuters and general public. Meanwhile, netizens have expressed anger over negligence and delay of the civic authorities to provide better road infrastructure in Mangaluru.