Bengaluru man gets footpath fixed without paying a bribe; shares simple 5-step guide in viral post

A Bengaluru resident shared his journey to repair a damaged footpath through persistent complaints via the BBMP Sahaya App and helpline.

In a city where civic apathy often sparks frustration and memes, one Reddit user’s story of persistence has struck a chord online, not for outrage, but for results.

A Bengaluru resident shared how he managed to get a damaged footpath repaired without paying a bribe. (Reddit)

A Bengaluru resident shared how he managed to get a damaged footpath repaired without paying a bribe, detailing every step of his effort in a viral post titled “How I Got a Footpath Repaired Without Bribes and How You Can Too.”

Check out the full post here:

According to the post, the user’s mission began with a complaint on the BBMP Sahaya App, which yielded no action. “It was assigned to various people, but they just shrugged off the task saying it wasn’t their department,” the post read.

Refusing to give up, the citizen then dialed 1533, the BBMP helpline, followed by multiple calls to the BBMP control room, where he learned that his road fell under the High-Density Corridor Project, the reason the drains were left uncovered.

Instead of stopping there, he persuaded the helpline staff to share the contact details of the engineers handling the project. After connecting directly with the engineers and contractor, the footpath was repaired within a week, 90% complete, the user wrote.

The post quickly went viral, earning praise from fellow Bengalureans. “This is amazing work. I’ll try this next time,” wrote one commenter. Others chimed in with their own hacks, such as tagging BBMP, Bengaluru Police, and traffic police accounts on social media for faster action.

One user summed up the irony best, “How has no one pointed out that this was right in front of a government office, the traffic police, no less?”

“I had complained on this app once regarding potholes deep enough that sedans were scraping. They put soil on the whole stretch by evening, and it rained heavily at night. That stretch remained unwalkable for months post that,” wrote another user.

Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.