Nagpur: What began as a tongue-in-cheek birthday celebration for a pothole ended with swift civic action, as the stretch was repaired within 24 hours. Content creator and businessman Lokesh Deshmukh’s video marking the “10th birthday” of a pothole at Uday Nagar Square on the Inner Ring Road went viral, drawing the attention of public works department (PWD), which subsequently repaired the road.Deshmukh, who runs a business dealing in e-waste and refurbished electronic goods, said he passed the spot almost daily since it lies along route between his home in Manish Nagar and store in Hudkeshwar.“I would come across this pothole every day and thought, let’s do something about it. A few years ago, I used to do armchair activism, reacting to things I saw and making videos. But this time I thought of taking it a step further,” he said.The video, which humorously celebrated the pothole’s supposed decade-long existence, resonated with residents across Nagpur. Deshmukh said he received nearly 300 messages following its circulation, many of them highlighting other roads and civic issues that required attention.“About 99% of the people appreciated what I did. I received at least 300 messages, and many people asked me to make similar videos about other roads and civic issues,” he said.Deshmukh said he drew inspiration from Pune-based civic activist Santosh Pandit, whose efforts to spotlight public issues had impressed him.“There are so many things happening across the city, and sometimes it may not be possible for the PWD to know everything. I also did not know how to register a complaint. So I thought making a video was one way of bringing attention to the issue,” he said.The response was immediate. A local friend informed Deshmukh that repair work had commenced at the site. He later visited the location and posted a follow-up video thanking authorities for addressing the issue.For Deshmukh, however, the pothole was just one of several civic concerns deserving attention. He said he has already identified other areas affected by problems such as public drinking and littering, which he plans to highlight through his social media content.He also suggested that civic authorities establish an ombudsman or a more accessible grievance-redressal mechanism to enable citizens to report local issues more easily.“At the same time, the fact that the PWD reacted to my video and took cognisance is a good thing. It shows that the department is active and willing to help citizens,” Deshmukh said.However, a PWD official told TOI that the repair work was already part of the department’s annual maintenance contract (AMC) programme. “The repair was carried out under funds released through the AMC. There were other spots as well that we repaired, and we came across the video later,” the official said.
