Mumbai’s pothole trouble: From biker deaths to RJ Malishka controversy
The pothole deaths in Mumbai show how the BMC is repeating its mistakes year after year. But raising voice, like RJ Malishka did, too doesn’t seem to be helping.
From deaths to controversy, potholes have been a constant cause for concern for Mumbaiites.
Here are 5 times Mumbaiites faced pothole trouble:
1. Bikerwoman dies: A 34-year-old Mumbai woman leading a group of bikers was run over by a truck on Sunday as she tried to avoid a pothole on the Jawhar-Dahanu highway. Jagruti Viraj Hogale, who was part of a women’s-only biker club and hailed from Bandra, was on way to Jawhar, popular for its waterfalls, for a weekend getaway, police said. Known as one of the finest riders, biking communities are shocked with the incident.
2. Raising voice leads to a notice: After a video by a local private FM channel RJ Malishka poking fun at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s monsoon preparedness (BMC) went viral on social media, two Yuva Sena members urged the municipal commissioner to file a Rs500-crore defamation suit against 93.5 Red FM. Irked with the criticism, the BMC issued a notice under section 381B of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (MMC) Act to Malishka’s mother Lily Mendosa for dengue breeding at her house in Bandra. The incident led to outrage on social media, with people coming out in support of the RJ. Malishka hit back saying she has six more songs ready.
3. ‘Speed-bumps, not potholes’: A new video released by comedian José Covaco supports RJ Malishka and mocks the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for being ill-prepared for monsoon. The 2-minute video sees a pokerface Covaco refusing to acknowledge the potholes on Mumbai roads, calling them tea vessels, hi-tech speed breakers and multi-purpose holes. Laden with irony, the video is a hilarious take on BMC’s appeal to Mumbaikars to trust them.
4. One more life lost: An 18-year-old died after he lost control of his bike while riding over a pothole in Bhiwandi late on Saturday. He was not wearing a helmet, said the police. Rahul Ahuja was driving the bike while his elder brother Amit rode pillion. According to the police, the brothers were travelling from Ulhasnagar to Thane to buy notebooks when the incident occurred.
5. One more injured: A 50-year-old man was hurt after he fell off his bike, which skidded owing to a pothole on Anand Dighe bridge in Kalyan. He suffered minor injuries, said sources.
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