Ahead of PM’s visit on September 18, Varanasi stages a unique protest against potholed and damaged roads
Swati Chandra | September 15, 2015 | New Delhi
How will you react if you see a white coloured danger skull painted just above a pothole in middle of a road? A sigh of relief or angst against the authorities or both. Such is the way people of Varanasi, PM Narendra Modi’s constituency, are protesting against the potholed and damaged roads.
Frustrated by the failure of the municipal corporation to repair giant potholes and broken manholes in the middle of the busiest roads in town, a city-based artist Umesh Jogai and his team are painting such potholes across the city. “We paint at night when there is no traffic. We worked for four consecutive days and have already covered around 12 potholes and open manholes,” says Jogai.
Two boatmen turned painters, Sandeep Sahni and Shankar Sahni, are assisting the 37-year-old artist in his noble cause. Together they have painted basketball nets, cobwebs, torches, etc. to drag attention towards giant potholes. These artists also paint the word ‘awaaz’ or voice along the pothole. “By doing so we are raising our voice (awaaz) against the bad roads and poor civic amenities in the city,” adds Jogai.
Painted potholes and damaged manholes will not only alert the citizens but will also help in curbing road accidents and mishaps. Moreover, these painted roads will serve as a sharp reminder to the authorities to complete their unfinished task.
“Our next move is to cover the damaged stretches on roads,” says Jogai.
“Although no government official or politician took cognizance of our work, we have been getting support from local people. When we set out to paint, people living nearby and those who commute on the road join and support our cause,” adds Jogai.
Varanasi is infamous for its poor roads having numerous potholes and broken manholes on a 1,170 km road network across the city. Damaged roads and this unique protest might give a bumpy ride to PM Modi who is scheduled to visit the city on September 18 and is expected to travel some distance via road. Meanwhile, the district administration is racing against time to repair the roads ahead of his visit.
Despite the awareness campaigns on sanitation across India, open defecation (OD) is practised openly and widely in both rural and urban areas. Research shows that rural respondents are well aware of the negative impacts of OD, yet this awareness does not lead to toilet construction or use. In rural North I
The Supreme Court recently described homemakers as “nation builders” and fixed a notional monthly income of Rs 30,000 for them in motor accident compensation cases. The judgment was not about wages. It was about compensation. Yet it inadvertently raised a larger economic question: If a homemake
After months of rising tensions, the United States and Iran have reached a memorandum of understanding called the "Islamabad Agreement." This agreement allows for the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz without tolls and provides Iran with relief from sanctions, depending on its complianc
14 Lawyers: Portraits from The Bar By Raju Ramachandran Juggernaut, 248 pages, Rs. 799
The latest episode of Checks and Balances focuses on the ticking time bomb of obesity in India, and Geetanjali Minhas of Governance Now spoke with a panel of experts. You can watch the episode here: https://youtu.be/mH
In the midst of deep mistrust, the US and Iran are reported to have reached a framework deal for ending the West Asian conflict. But whether it will result in any meaningful breakthrough or pave the way for any lasting peace in the region, is in the realm of speculation. During
