Cables laid haphazardly on a pavement on Cubbon Road in Bengaluru.
DH File Photo
Bengaluru: With 21 deaths in 2022, Bengaluru recorded most deaths due to negligence of civic bodies, the NCRB report said.
Bengaluru has been on the top of this list for three years now. While only three such incidents were reported in 2018, number rose to 49 in 2019, but has fallen since. In 2022, it accounted for over half (51 per cent) of such incidents in India.
Activists say poor infrastructure has taken a toll on the city. Broken footpaths, pothole-ridden roads, loosely hanging cables and dangerous electricity infra have put lives at risk.
“Most of these accidents would be due to poor footpaths and bad roads. Since many of the footpaths are either encroached upon or broken, citizens tend to take the roads and this is dangerous. Also, the number of electrocution deaths in the city is concerning,” said Sandeep Anirudhan, a civic activist from Whitefield.
Citizens said a lack of coordination between various government agencies has made it difficult to fix accountability.
“Every time there is a pothole-related accident, BBMP, BWSSB, and BDA blame each other,” said Prashant R, a resident of Vijayanagar.
In October 2022, Bengaluru reported multiple accidents due to potholes.
Recently, a 23-year-old woman and her daughter were electrocuted after they stepped on a live electric wire that was lying on footpath in Kadugodi.
Major incidents
Dec 2022: A 13-year-old boy died after coming in contact with a high-tension wire in Nandini Layout.
Nov 2022: A 35-year-old man lost life after his two-wheeler comes down while navigating through a poorly patched-up road in Rajajinagar.
Oct 2022: A 50-year old woman died in a pothole accident in West Bengaluru. A 22-year-old died owing to a similar incident in Yelahanka.