School bus with 20 children nearly topples on crater-filled road in Bengaluru; Residents outraged. Video

A school bus with 20 children nearly toppled on the damaged Panathur-Balagere road in Bengaluru, sparking outrage over poor infrastructure.

Published on: Sep 12, 2025, 15:04:45 IST

By Yamini C S, Bengaluru

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Bengaluru's substandard infrastructure is once again making headlines after a school bus carrying around 20 children narrowly avoided toppling on the severely damaged Panathur-Balagere road on Friday, according to a social media post. The vehicle got stuck in a large crater filled with slush, forcing a dramatic rescue through the back door. Thankfully, no injuries were reported.

The incident occurred on the infamous Panathur-Balagere road in Bengaluru on Friday morning, a video uploaded on social media showed. (X)

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A video and several images of the incident, which surfaced on social media, have sparked outrage among residents, who pointed out the irony that this very stretch was inspected by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar just a few months ago.

“A school bus carrying around 20 kids almost toppled on the crater-filled, slushy Panathur–Balagere road. Children had to be rescued through the back door. Ironically, CM & DyCM had visited and inspected this very stretch just a few months ago,” a social media post by a resident stated.

It garnered over 3,000 views and several replies, with some blaming the driver for negligence, while others blamed authorities for not carrying out civic repair works in time.

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“Please consider making #Bengaluru a union territory for 10 years and develop the city,” another reply stated.

A road in ruins

The Panathur–Balagere road, located in East Bengaluru, has long been a nightmare for commuters. Known for its craters, uneven surface and waterlogging, it has become nearly impassable during rains. With rapid growth in the surrounding areas like Varthur, Bellandur and Sarjapur, traffic volumes have soared, however road upgrades haven’t taken place.

Friday’s incident once again highlighted the dangers of neglected infrastructure, especially for school-going children.

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Bengaluru's broader infrastructure crisis

The city has been grappling with a growing number of such incidents, as rapid urbanisation continues to outpace planning. Several parts of Bengaluru face regular flooding, dug-up roads, unfinished civic works and traffic gridlocks, especially during monsoon season.

Residents blamed poor coordination between civic agencies, lack of accountability and delay in infrastructure projects. Despite massive budgets and promises of "Brand Bengaluru" revamps, basic road safety remains out of reach for many residents.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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