Twelve-year-old Ravi Teja knows about the dangers a potholed road holds.
The boy from Habsiguda area in Hyderabad recently saw a family of three on a motorcycle fall on one such road while avoiding a pothole and succumbing to head injuries. Teja, the son of construction worker D Suryanarayana and homemaker Nagamani, thought it was better to take up the task of repairing the road himself rather than depending on civic authorities, who have turned a blind eye towards the potholes.
This is despite Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao directions to officials of the department of roads and buildings to fill up all the potholes in Telangana by the end of the month at a review meeting on May 1. Rao announced that the necessary funds would be released from the budget. He even warned that if any potholes were found on any of the roads, stringent action would be taken against officials.
It has been more than a month since the deadline fixed by KCR, as the chief minister is popularly known, has ended but the condition of roads in Telangana, and particularly in the capital city of Hyderabad, has turned from bad to worse, with heavy rains lashing all parts of the state.
“After watching the accident on the Habsiguda road, I thought I should do something from my side to see that such accidents do not recur,” Teja told the Hindustan Times. “I have been doing it for the last one week, whenever I get the time.”
{{/usCountry}}“After watching the accident on the Habsiguda road, I thought I should do something from my side to see that such accidents do not recur,” Teja told the Hindustan Times. “I have been doing it for the last one week, whenever I get the time.”
{{/usCountry}}Teja collected broken bricks, gravel and stones from nearby areas and started filling the potholes with them. Braving dust and pollution on the busy road, Teja worked for hours to patiently repair the potholes.
The actions of the Class 6 student at a local government school caught the attention of the locals, who appreciated his civic responsibility.
“Nobody told me to do so. I did it on my own. And, I will continue to do it,” Teja said when asked who gave him the idea of filling the potholes.
He was also pained to read about the death of an 18-month old toddler, who fell into an open borewell at Chevella in Ranga Reddy district a few days ago. “Such mishaps should not happen. I will do by bit to avoid such accidents,” he said. “I will also ask my friends to join me in filling up the potholes.”