Every time Dadarao Bilhore spots a pothole on a Mumbai road, he stops to fill it, using broken paver blocks, stones, gravel and construction debris that he collects from nearby sites. His mission began after his 16-year-old son, Prakash, died in July after the motorcycle he was travelling on with his cousin Ram hit a water-filled pothole on the Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road (JVLR). Prakash was returning after completing admission formalities at a polytechnic college in Bhandup when the bike crashed.
He was taken to Holy Spirit Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Bilhore, who earns a living selling vegetables in Marol’s Vijayanagar area, says he does not want another family to experience the loss he has endured. Over a period of about a month, he had filled around a dozen potholes, while residents who initially watched him work began helping him collect paver blocks and construction debris.
At the same time, Bilhore has continued to seek justice in his son’s case. The FIR was registered under Sections 304A and 338 of the Indian Penal Code, alleging negligence connected to the uncovered construction-related crater. Aarey police said a BMC official and a Tata engineer were arrested and later released after applying for anticipatory bail, while police said the charge sheet would be filed. The BMC also said action had been taken against the concerned engineer.
Turning Grief Into Road Safety
Bilhore’s work is simple but deeply personal. He collects material discarded at construction sites and uses it to fill dangerous potholes. After putting the debris into a hole, he levels it and stamps it down repeatedly to make the surface safer for road users. In another account of his work, Bilhore was described carrying bags of dirt, sand, gravel and concrete debris, smoothing the mixture before repeatedly jumping on it to flatten the repair.
His efforts grew from the grief following Prakash’s death.
Bilhore said his son was “very good”, “smart” and “full of life”, and that he wanted to become an engineer. Prakash was also the first person in the family to attend an English-medium school. After his death, Bilhore told his son’s friends that they were all “Prakash” to him and encouraged them to continue with their dreams.
For Bilhore, repairing potholes became a way of honouring his son while trying to prevent similar tragedies. “I do this so that hopefully no one else suffers the pain I did,” he said. His efforts have also encouraged people around him to participate. Residents who once watched him work alone began helping by handing him paver blocks, while others supplied sacks for collecting debris. “We used to watch him do the work single-handedly. Now we try to do our own bit as well,” said resident Swapnil Mhatre.
A Fight For Justice Alongside The Repairs
Prakash’s accident occurred during the monsoon, when the pothole was submerged under water and difficult to identify. According to the account, the crater had been created during construction work and had not been properly covered. There were also no barricades or warning signs around it. When the motorcycle hit the pothole, both Prakash and his cousin Ram were thrown from the vehicle. Ram survived but suffered head injuries and required stitches, while Prakash suffered fatal injuries.
Bilhore has since pursued both road safety and accountability. He said it took six hours to register an accidental death report and three days for the Aarey police to register an FIR. According to him, it then took another five months to identify those allegedly responsible, and the accused were subsequently released on bail. He has repeatedly contacted the police station asking about the charge sheet and said the delays have made him lose faith in the system. He also said he plans to seek compensation from those found responsible.
Aarey police gave a response on the case. Senior Inspector Vilas Chavan said, “It is a case of negligence by both parties.” He stated that a BMC official and a Tata engineer had been arrested but were released after applying for anticipatory bail, and said the charge sheet would be filed that week. The source also records that Additional Municipal Commissioner (Roads) SVR Srinivas had said the BMC launched a probe into the matter. Asked about the status of the investigation, he said, “Action has been taken against the concerned engineer. We have addressed this case.”
The source also describes how Bilhore’s pothole repairs expanded beyond his immediate neighbourhood. He collected construction debris, transported material in his Maruti minivan and shared updates through a WhatsApp group called “Pothole Killers”, which had nearly 100 members. He acknowledged that his repairs were only temporary solutions and not a substitute for proper roadwork, while saying that municipal crews could sometimes take weeks to respond to reports of potholes.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Dadarao Bilhore’s story shows how personal grief can be channelled into an effort to protect others, while also highlighting why citizens should not have to depend on individual action to address basic road-safety concerns.
His decision to repair potholes does not replace the responsibility of civic authorities, contractors and other stakeholders to ensure that roads are properly maintained and construction sites are safely secured. At the same time, the residents who chose to support Bilhore demonstrate how empathy can turn individual action into community participation.
Constructive dialogue between citizens and authorities, timely responses to safety concerns and accountability when negligence is established can help make public spaces safer for everyone.
What can citizens, communities and civic authorities do together to ensure that preventable road hazards do not cost another family a loved one?
Also Read: Dr Rajagopalan Vasudevan: How India’s ‘Plastic Man’ Turned Waste into Roads
