Bengaluru will be free of potholes in 10 days, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara announced in June.
He also put out a tweet sharing a WhatsApp helpline number for citizens to post pictures of potholes.
A reality check by Metrolife found the number unresponsive. On June 29, we sent two pictures of potholes in front of Garuda Mall, Magrath Road, to the WhatsApp number.
It took almost three weeks for the blue tick (indicating the message had been opened) to appear. And there was no response.
On July 14, we sent out another picture of a smaller pothole in front of Cafe Coffee Day opposite the Indiranagar Metro station. The blue tick appeared on June 29: it took 15 days for the message to be opened. There was no response again. We messaged the number 10 days later requesting an update, but got no response.
Deputy CM sir, it has been two months since you promised pothole-free roads, but your staff isn’t attending to complaints. We tried our luck again on Wednesday. No go. We have now sent pictures of potholes at GM Palya Road in New Thippasandra and in front of the BEML gate on the road towards Malleshpalya. We are waiting to see whether your men will get cracking.
See a pothole? Try your luck
WhatsApp: 94806 85700
Landline: 080 2266 0000
(BBMP numbers provided by G Parameshwara)
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In June, Dr G Parameshwara, deputy chief minister who also holds the portfolio of Bengaluru development, promised to fix all 6,000 potholes in the city. He had sought 10 days.