BENGALURU: A pothole submerged under rainwater on Whitefield-Varthur Road has left a Bengaluru professional facing months of recovery, with a crushed ankle and a hospital bill of Rs 1.9 lakh. She is now recuperating in Lucknow, recovering from injuries sustained in what began as a routine commute.The accident occurred on Aug 20 near Nexus Mall when Aishani Khanna (in pic), 29, was riding an Ola scooter towards Varthur amid heavy rain. She said the pothole, hidden by rainwater, went unnoticed, causing her scooter to plunge into it. The impact sent her flying, while the vehicle crashed on to her left ankle.“The wounds were so deep that my muscles were visible. Mud, road debris and rainwater had seeped into my wounds,” she said, recalling the incident. Doctors did a debridement procedure, a form of reconstructive wound surgery, and stitched the ankle. The injury narrowly missed damaging the bone but tore through multiple layers of skin and tissue. “I couldn’t see my feet as it was covered in blood,” said Aishani. An auto driver and delivery personnel rushed her to hospital.Khanna, who works in Bellandur and stays in Balagere in East Bengaluru, said she took Whitefield-Varthur stretch as she was out on personal work. “How many more people have to get injured before these roads are fixed? At least I survived. Despite paying so many taxes, shouldn’t we at least have safe roads? Except for Old Airport Road and ORR, almost all the roads in these surroundings are in horrible condition,” she rued.
Accident: No reaction yet from authorities
Adding to her hospital bills were the costs of emergency travel for family members and continuing treatment in Lucknow. Aishani clarified that she is not seeking compensation from govt, but wants authorities held accountable for the poor condition of the roads in the city. Though Aishani’s ordeal went viral, neither the local MLA nor Greater Bengaluru Authorities have reacted so far.
MP seeks white paper on spending
Bangalore South MP Tejasvi Surya questioned govt’s road infrastructure spending, citing Aishani’s example of the dangers posed by pothole-riddled roads across the city. Surya said while the govt has now announced Rs 8,000 crore for road development, it had earlier claimed to have spent around Rs 5,500 crore on fixing potholes over the last few years. He demanded that the state govt release a white paper detailing how the earlier funds were utilised before fresh allocations are made.
