Day in and day out we see people complaining about potholes on Hyderabad roads. But instead of blaming the government, a group of techies are taking matters into their own hands. Known by the name ‘We can make a change’, the group locates and fills up potholes every week. The group members include Karthik Pallam, Nagaraju Gudepu, Vihar Chetty, Vamshi Gundetty and Vishal Gundetty, while Chakradhar Ayachitula and Rakesh Dasari have recently joined.
“When I was working in Bengaluru, I saw a lot of potholes, but never took action. When I passed the idea by my colleagues, they asked why should we fill the potholes when we duly pay our tax and it is, in turn, the government’s responsibility,” says Karthik.
After Karthik moved to Hyderabad, with a little help he was able to get in touch with HINCOL to buy the emulsions for repairing the potholes. “I didn’t tell my friends the day I was going to buy the raw materials as I thought that they would discourage me. But they came on board. Before Ramadan, four of us got together and found potholes near Hitec City. My friends then encouraged me to start the initiative. When the word spread in my organisation, few colleagues also came on board,” he adds.
Helping lives
The group has thus far spent Rs 40,000 from their own pockets to fill 60 potholes. Their work has been appreciated by Gangadhara Tilak Katnam, Hyderabad’s road doctor, responsible for filling over a thousand potholes in the city. Apart from joining Gangadhara in his initiative, the group also got some tips from Bengaluru’s ‘Pothole Raja’ or Prathaap Bhimasena Rao. “He told us not to fill potholes at night, because people drink and drive and it could lead to accidents,” he says.
It takes the team 10 minutes to fill one pothole. They have a WhatsApp group where the volunteers post the location and pictures of potholes. “We can only fill small potholes. If we spot bigger ones, we report it through the app, My GHMC, and the authorities concerned take further action,” says Karthik.
The growing volunteer pool
Karthik posts details and photos about the group’s pothole-filling activities with the hope that more citizens will come forward.
Chakradhar, who followed the group on Facebook and got inspired to join them, explains, “I ride a lot and I notice how fatal potholes can be. Deaths due to potholes are increasing. When I came across the page, I could connect with the cause. We can’t expect everything to change overnight, but I can do my bit.”
Another volunteer Rakesh, has recently joined the group. “I thought it wouldn’t last many days, but when I kept following Karthik’s work, it inspired me to join,” he says. Karthik decisively states that he wants to keep at it until Hyderabad becomes a no-pothole city.
