There are hundreds of accidents every day due to bad road construction and irregular repairing leading to potholes. This has been taking lives and causing irreversible injury and vehicle damage. A couple in Hyderabad has been working relentlessly to fix this problem for the past 11 years.
Retired Railway Engineer Gangadhar Tilak Katnam (73), and his wife Venkateshwari Katnam (64) have been driving to various roads and intersections to fix the gaps and holes on them in order to prevent accidents. The elderly couple drives in their own car, which they call a ‘Pothole Ambulance’, and fills up potholes anywhere they find them.
Gangadhar took the initiative after his repeated requests to fix the holes were overlooked by the authorities. All the expenses involved in the work are covered personally with the little pension that Mr. Gangadhar receives every month. By now they have fixed 2000+ potholes spending INR 40 Lac.
“I shifted here after my retirement from Indian Railways. I saw accidents every day, due to potholes. I even took the matter with the concerned authority but it was not resolved. Then I decided to fix it myself using money from my pension. I have filled over 2,000 potholes till now and spent about ₹40 lakh,” Mr. Gangadhar told ANI.
Telangana: An elderly couple have been filling potholes in Hyderabad for past 11 years
— ANI (@ANI) July 10, 2021
I shifted here after my retirement from Indian Railways. I saw accidents every day, due to potholes. I even took the matter with the concerned authority but it was not resolved: GT Katnam pic.twitter.com/tZiQlMKS8i
For their noble work, the man is now referred to as the ‘Road Doctor’. He had served for 35 years in the Indian Railways and shifted to the Telangana capital after retirement. He then joined a software company as an engineer. Yet the poor condition of the city roads and the accident prompted him to leave his job and take matters into his own hands.
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After doing the work for few years on their own, the couple started an organization called ‘Sramadhan’ where people make donations voluntarily to buy materials for the potholes.
His efforts have caught the eyes of the officials as well. They come to him with whatever help they can provide to aid his work.
“Many problems can be solved very easily if everyone starts helping each other. Road by road, we make a difference,” he concluded.
We hope that the authorities work more efficiently so that Mr.Gangadhar doesn’t have to take the pain of fixing the roads.