Pothole menace: Bengaluru woman’s legs crushed under bus after she falls off scooter

Terming the accident “unfortunate”, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said: “We will conduct an inquiry into the causes of the accident. After getting all the details, we will pay relief.”

Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials said they were awaiting a police report to ascertain the exact cause of the accident, even as barricades were placed along the pothole-ridden stretch. According to sources in the civic body, the road came under the major roads department of the BBMP and was handed over to the projects department for maintenance. The projects department has now pointed fingers at the contractor for not maintaining the road.

Sources said that though the road was up for repairs, it could not be taken up due to continuous rainfall in the region. This is the second incident in a week in which a motorist was injured due to potholes in the city.

In the first incident, a retired bank official suffered fractures in an accident days after he complained about the poor condition of roads near his house. Speaking to The Indian Express, the victim K L Vinay said he had written to the BBMP commissioner on October 6, highlighting the poor condition of the road from BEL Circle to Peenya Metro station. “I was returning home on my scooter from Peenya Metro station on October 12. It was around 8.30-8.45 pm that I fell down while trying to avoid a ditch,” he said.

The retired NABARD general manager suffered a fracture in his leg and a hairline fracture in his wrist. “The plaster on the leg won’t come off for three months after which I will have to undergo physiotherapy,” he said.

When contacted, S Nagaraju, joint commissioner of Rajarajeshwari Nagar division, said he had inspected the road recently and had directed the chief engineer to asphalt the potholes on the stretch.