The Pothole that Killed a Youth, 20-year-ol Athish in August 2022 has Reappeared again to Kill Many More- the incident occurred near Kandittu Cross, Bikarnakatte on NH 73. around 6.45 am. Athish was a resident of Konchady, and an engineering student of St Joseph’s Engineering College, Vamanjoor, who lost his life after he hit a pole on the divider, trying to avoid the killer pothole
Mangaluru: No doubt that the potholes in the City are dangerous to lives, especially for two-wheeler riders, who could get seriously injured or lose lives. And despite motorists losing their lives or severely injuring themselves travelling on these pathetic potholed-filled roads, none of the concerned authorities either from NHAI, DK District Administration or Mangaluru City Corporation are taking any serious thoughts in repairing these treacherous potholes.
Above are File Photos of the 7 August 2022 Incident
Recalling the accident which took place on 7 August 2022, where a young scooter rider, in an attempt to avoid a pothole on the road, rammed his two-wheeler into a road divider and died – the incident took place near Kandettu Cross, Bikarnakatte on NH 73 around 6.45 am. Athish (20), a resident of Konchady, and an engineering student of St Joseph’s Engineering College, Vamanjoor, lost his life after he hit a pole on the divider. after trying to avoid the pothole. Just like Athish, many youngsters have lost lives due to these potholes, which reappear again and again, due to the shabby patchwork done by the workers.
The potholes reappeared at the same spot trying to kill more two-wheeler riders. What shabby work just to fool the public. Filling the potholes with jelly stones or some loose stuff will not serve the purpose for a long time. As long as cheap quality tar is being used and layered too thinly, we will continue to see potholes over and over again. Even though the same spot of pothole was filled recently, we are seeing the pothole at the same spot today, where a Zomato food delivery youth passing over the pothole on his scooter, lost balance and fell on the road- and luckily there was not much traffic in the early morning hours-if not he could have run over by a speeding vehicle.
The city crews or NHAI should take quick action to fix the potholes before they get deeper and worse — thereby avoiding severe driving hazards and vehicle damage. Without any delay, MCC should undertake a major exercise to refurbish the City’s potholes. Let us not lose one or many more lives due to these killer potholes. Period.