BENGALURU: A woman has urged civic authorities to urgently repair roads after she allegedly suffered a crushed ankle in an accident caused by an unmarked, waterlogged pothole on Varthur Road, leaving her requiring emergency plastic surgery and a hospital bill of Rs 1.97 lakh.Aishani Khanna shared details of the incident on social media platform X on Thursday, along with a photograph of herself undergoing treatment at a hospital.“Hidden pothole on Varthur road cost me a crushed ankle, emergency plastic surgery, 5 days in hospital, and Rs 1.97L.This could happen to any of us tomorrow. Fix the roads now!,” she said in a post on September 4.She tagged the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, among others, seeking their intervention.According to Khanna, the accident took place on August 20 on the Varthur stretch after she encountered an unmarked pothole filled with water.“Result: crushed ankle, 7-10cm deep cuts, emergency plastic surgery, 5 days at Manipal Hospital, and Rs 1.97L in bills-with another surgery pending. @BBMPCOMM @GBA_office Fix Varthur Stretch in 15 day,” she said in another post on X.The Karnataka BJP on Saturday shared Khanna’s post and criticised the Congress government over the condition of roads in Bengaluru.“Bengalureans break their bones while @INCKarnataka fills its pockets!” the BJP said in a post on X.“A young woman near Varthur suffered a fractured ankle due to a pothole and was forced to spend Rs 1.97 lakh on treatment. How many more citizens must suffer before you fix this,” it asked.The BJP also questioned spending on road infrastructure in Bengaluru, referring to chief minister D K Shivakumar’s claim that Rs 5,500 crore had been spent on roads over the past few years.It also cited Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda’s announcement of another Rs 8,000 crore for road works.“Where is all this money going? Have these funds also become part of your #LootSarkara,” the BJP asked.BJP MP Tejasvi Surya also reacted to a news report on the incident and questioned the state government’s spending on Bengaluru’s roads.He said the government had claimed that nearly Rs 5,500 crore had been spent on city roads over the past few years.“Yet, the condition of our roads is there for everyone to see. Now, Minister Krishna Byre Gowda has announced another Rs 8,000 crore for fixing the city’s roads,” he said in a post on X.“Where is all this money going? I had earlier demanded a white paper on the Rs 5,500 crore already spent. Even today, at the meeting called by the Minister, I reiterated this demand. The Government is yet to release it,” the BJP MP claimed.He further said that Bengaluru should first be given an account of the money already spent before more funds are allocated.“Pothole-filling seems to have become a very lucrative business for those involved. Terrible state of affairs,” Surya alleged.(With PTI inputs)
