'5 Days in Hospital, ₹1.97 lakh bill': Bengaluru Woman's Ordeal Exposes City's Pothole Peril
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
A resident of Varthur in Bengaluru suffered an ankle fracture requiring surgery and nearly five days of hospitalisation after her two-wheeler crashed into an unaddressed pothole during rain.
Aishani Khanna was riding to work around 12 pm in heavy rainfall when the vehicle hit the road crater, causing the two-wheeler to fall over her. The incident resulted in multiple injuries, a medical bill reaching ₹1.97 lakh, and the possibility of a second surgery depending on her recovery.
Beyond the physical harm, Khanna highlighted the severe psychological toll of the crash, stating that the mental trauma left her repeatedly reliving the moment of impact.
Chronic Neglect in Varthur
Khanna pointed to long-standing administrative apathy, noting that roads in the Varthur area have remained in deplorable condition for nearly a decade. She urged the government to direct resources towards essential road repairs rather than allocating funds to unnecessary initiatives, asserting that the Bengaluru East City Corporation should have addressed the hazards long ago.
Opposition Demands Accountability Over Road Funds
The accident has drawn political scrutiny over municipal infrastructure spending. Member of Parliament Tejasvi Surya raised the incident on X, criticising the state government’s management of public funds meant for urban infrastructure.
Surya questioned the expenditure of nearly ₹5,500 crore previously earmarked for Bengaluru’s roads over recent years, pointing out that the visible condition of the streets contradicts these investments. Addressing Minister Krishna Byre Gowda’s recent announcement of an additional ₹8,000 crore allocation for city roads, Surya reiterated his demand for an official White Paper detailing how the prior funds were utilised before fresh public money is spent.
