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Live tracker for Bengaluru’s potholes? Techie spots new civic initiative, internet applauds

‘Bengaluru Live Potholes Map’, most likely aims to crowdsource road hazard data, offering real-time repository of unaddressed potholes across the city.

Published on: Jun 24, 2025, 15:25:57 IST
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A Bengaluru techie recently spotted a civic-tech initiative that is winning hearts online.

The tool allows users to upload images of potholes and pin their exact location. (X/@shantanugoel)
The tool allows users to upload images of potholes and pin their exact location. (X/@shantanugoel)

Sharing a screenshot of a website titled blr-potholes.pages.dev, the user, Shantanu Goel, posted a pothole's geo-tagged image and wrote, “Someone created this with the intent to make the roads safer in Bengaluru. I hope they are not persecuted by the machinery instead. Also, this should be called a crater, not a pothole!”

Check out his post here:

The tool, anonymously built and currently open to the public, allows users to upload images of potholes and pin their exact location on a map of Bengaluru. While its creator remains unknown, the initiative has struck a chord with many Bengalureans frustrated by the city's persistent pothole problem.

The platform ‘Bengaluru Live Potholes Map’, most likely aims to crowdsource road hazard data, offering a visual, real-time repository of unaddressed potholes across the city.

How did X users react?

Social media users hailed the project as a much-needed blend of civic activism and Bengaluru’s tech prowess. One user wrote, “Whoever created this earned my respect. These are the things we should be expecting out of Bengaluru and its strong dev presence.” Another remarked darkly, “He’s gonna disappear for mysterious reasons soon.”

Others suggested how to take it further. “I would love for a weekly report to be sent to the local municipal offices,” wrote a user. “I hope the respective officials see this and repair it, and then the person who made the app can mark them as fixed, that’s how it should be,” added another.

Some even called for scaling the idea across Indian cities to aid transparency and citizen-driven accountability.

As of now, it remains unclear whether civic authorities have taken note of the crowdsourced pothole tracker, but netizens love it.

DKS had det 15-day deadline to fix potholes

In 2024, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar had issued a stern 15-day ultimatum to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to fill all potholes across the city. The announcement was part of a public push to address the capital’s deteriorating road infrastructure.

“I asked the BBMP commissioner to fill all the potholes in Bengaluru in the next 15 days,” Shivakumar told reporters at the time. He noted that the civic body had identified 2,795 potholes and allocated 660 crore for the repair work. “Compared to previous years, people are now less affected due to rains,” he added, promising to personally inspect the city’s roads after the deadline.

(Also Read: Is language row the reason for MNCs' exit from Bengaluru? Social media debates)

  • Anagha Deshpande
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Anagha Deshpande

    Anagha Deshpande is Deputy Chief Content Producer at Hindustan Times. She is currently part of the news team. Before moving into this role, she worked with the Bengaluru desk, where she extensively covered civic issues, Karnataka politics, infrastructure, and urban governance. Over the past seven years, Anagha has worked across multiple facets of digital journalism, including reporting, editing, and video production. She briefly stepped away from journalism, only to realize that the newsroom is where she has the most fun. Her interests lie in tracking national and state politics, particularly South Indian politics, as well as social issues and public policy. She has previously worked with Deccan Herald, Mid-day, The Federal, and ThePrint, and has lived and worked in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Chennai. When she isn't chasing stories, Anagha enjoys long aimless walks, reading, hiking, discovering new teas, and, by her own admission, overthinking almost everything.Read More

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