Chikkamagaluru: Three schoolboys filled a pothole-ridden stretch at Haluvalli in Kalasa taluk on Saturday.Kaushik, Sathwik — govt school students and sons of daily-wage labourers — and their friend Partha, a Class X student of a private school in Kalasa, were playing cricket after school when they saw motorists struggling on the Balehonnur-Kalasa road.They brought agricultural implements and filled the craters with boulders and mud to provide temporary relief. The students who were playing took up the work noticing motorists struggling to negotiate potholes.Autorickshaw driver Satish said the stretch near Haluvalli was in a dilapidated condition. “I was surprised to see the repaired road and later learnt children had done it,” he said.Kaushik told TOI, “No one told us. We did it on our own after seeing motorists struggle. It was a holiday and we were playing cricket.”The incident has triggered a political blame game. BJP leader Deepak Doddaiah slammed Congress govt and Mudigere MLA Nayana Motamma, alleging villagers had submitted memorandums for three years but no action was taken.“When children have to repair the road they use to go to school, it mirrors administrative failure,” he said, warning of a massive padayatra if repairs are not taken up immediately.MLA Nayana Motamma was not available for comment.
