This Video Of Polio-Affected Man Fixing Potholes Forced Authorities To Pay Attention To Odisha's Road Conditions
Writer: Laxmi Mohan Kumar
She is an aspiring journalist in the process of learning and unlearning many things. Always up for discussions on everything from popular culture to politics.
Odisha, 27 Sep 2022 8:15 AM GMT | Updated 27 Sep 2022 8:20 AM GMT
Editor : Snehadri Sarkar |
While he is a massive sports fanatic, his interest also lies in mainstream news and nitpicking trending and less talked about everyday issues.
Creatives : Laxmi Mohan Kumar
She is an aspiring journalist in the process of learning and unlearning many things. Always up for discussions on everything from popular culture to politics.
Showing that fixing a pothole can be done even by a single man with physical challenges, questions have been raised on the lack of action from qualified government officials regarding managing the quality of roads.
The pothole menace has been an issue that Indians have brought up time and again due to disruptions caused in their daily commute or other factors. The unfilled potholes and caving roads have often been on the news for the risk it has caused motorists and the ensuing protests.
A physically-challenged man from Odisha decided to do something about it instead of waiting for the officials to schedule a time to fix the issue. His act of filling in the potholes out of desperation and concern took off on social media platforms and came to the attention of responsible authorities, who are now visiting the sites to decide on the appropriate action.
A Road That Will Now Be Disable-Friendly
31-year-old polio-affected Ganesh Naik from Kermunda village under Dharamgarh block is a vegetable seller who travels with his produce on a manually-operated tricycle. Overcoming his physical barriers, the man took up a profession that would help him become financially self-reliant. However, for the profession that he is involved in, a road filled with potholes poses a serious risk.
He often toppled down from his vehicle due to the damaged roads and had to suffer multiple injuries. Even the one-km stretch from Kermunda to Jorpada was a hazardous task for him to cross over with a motorcycle full of vegetables.
Taking it upon himself, Ganesh single-handedly repaired the damaged roads. Without any external support, he carried the construction materials on his tricycle and filled in the potholes across the route he travelled every day. Video of the same was put up online and had several netizens demanding the responsible officials to look into it.
Soon enough, the reactions nudged the block and panchayat officials to visit the location and analyse the pothole situation. As per a report by the New Indian Express quoting the social activist Shyam Sundar Majhi, the officials have now spread crushers dust on the damaged sections of the road and are doing the necessary.
However, this has initiated a dialogue on the extremes a person would have to go to have the authorities finally pay attention to the inconveniences faced by the residents. Netizens have also asked the panchayat to consider constructing a concrete road in the place that would facilitate safer travelling conditions for many, including Ganesh Naik.
Also Read: Fix The Roads! Potholes Caused 3,564 Accidents On Indian Roads In 2020