Built in April, ruined in July: Bengaluru resident shares timeline of footpath mess in viral post

Bengalureans express frustration over rapid deterioration of footpaths due to poor planning and utility work.

A Bengaluru resident’s post has gone viral after it captured the city’s recurring civic absurdities through a single footpath’s journey, from freshly built to dangerously unusable in just a few weeks.

The post, shared with a set of four images, documents the condition of a footpath on Whitefield Main Road. (X/@WF_Watcher)

The post, shared with a set of four images, documents the condition of a footpath near Fabindia on Whitefield Main Road, highlighting how quickly infrastructure can deteriorate due to poor planning and coordination.

The caption read, “Built in April, ruined in July,” followed by a sarcastic thanks to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), “Thanks to #BBMP and concerned teams involved in this mine digging activity!” The photos show the footpath in good condition in April, dug up by late June, hastily restored the next day, and finally left uneven and dangerous by July 6, with tiles so misaligned that walking on them without tripping seems impossible.

Check out the post here:

How did X users react?

The post has sparked widespread engagement, with many Bengalureans sharing similar frustrations and adding their own dry humour to the thread. “You visit Doddanekkundi, they are digging gold since 6 months,” one user quipped. Another commented, “This is how government works in Bangalore,” while someone else observed that the tiles used looked old and reused rather than newly laid.

Several users pointed out a disturbing trend, that newly built roads and footpaths are often the first to be dug up, usually for utility-related work, and when restored, the quality is noticeably worse. The lack of inter-departmental coordination, they argue, leads to wasteful spending and unsafe urban spaces.

BBMP, the civic body responsible for Bengaluru’s infrastructure, has frequently come under fire for such lapses. Despite repeated complaints from citizens, issues like these persist across neighbourhoods. As the monsoon arrives, concerns are mounting that these poorly maintained footpaths will only become more hazardous.

For many residents, this post is more than just about one stretch of pavement, it reflects a larger story of neglect and inefficiency that defines much of Bengaluru’s urban experience.