Bengaluru: Walk tests and vehicle tests are history. Now, lace up and show how bad your roads are.To draw the attention of civic authorities, engineer-entrepreneur Dhananjaya Bhandarkar recently posted a video on social media running down unasphalted roads of Rudrappa Layout, a modest enclave with about 20 houses, off Andrahalli Main Road near Peenya, west Bengaluru.According to him, only the first 200 metres of the road has been asphalted; the remaining 1.5km continues to be a dusty, uneven surface.Through the video, he appealed to Bengaluru development minister Krishna Byre Gowda and Yeshwantpur MLA ST Somashekar to ensure the roads are finally asphalted. The unusual protest has struck a chord online, with the video garnering thousands of views within days.For residents of Rudrappa Layout, which was formed a decade ago, the issue is far from new. Houses started coming in the past 6-7 years, but the road conditions have remained the same in the past two years. Initially, they were told that the roads would be asphalted only after Cauvery drinking water pipeline works were completed. The project was completed a year ago, but the roads remain in poor condition.“Minister Krishna Byre Gowda has been taking action against officials responsible for poor work on major roads. But there are many residential layouts like ours where even basic infrastructure is missing,” Dhananjaya, 34, told TOI. “We have invested our money, built homes, and live so close to an important industrial hub like Peenya. We deserve at least basic roads,” he said.“I lodged a complaint through the Greater Bengaluru Authority’s online portal, but I did not receive the courtesy of a reply,” he added.Dhananjaya said the idea to combine running with civic activism came after a more conventional approach failed to attract attention. “Road issues are discussed across Bengaluru. Everyone stands beside potholes and talks about them. I had made a similar video earlier, but it barely reached anyone,” he said.“Since I run regularly, I thought I’d run through the bad roads. I hadn’t seen anyone protest road conditions this way before. My end goal is simple — to get our roads asphalted,” he said. “In my next video, I will do a handstand on these roads.”One line from his video has especially resonated with viewers: “To cover the pot ‘holes’ of the city, the authorities should work ‘whole’ heartedly.”
