Gandhigiri-style Diwali celebrations as citizens light up potholes to awaken civic admn
   Date :19-Nov-2020

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Staff Reporter :
 
Nagpur Citizens Forum as part of its pothole-free Nagpur campaign initiated a novel campaign of celebrating Diwali by placing candles around them to highlight the bad road conditions. Fed-up with inaction on part of officials of Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), the Forum initiated a Gandhigiri style agitation during Diwali. Earlier using social media to hilt they had appealed citizens to share photographs of roads where potholes exits or surface is in bad condition.
 
The response from citizens was massive as over 1500 photographs were received and in first instance flex banner exhibition was put up at civic headquarters. However since civic officials are yet to ensure that all potholes are repaired, the Forum decided to conduct Diwali celebrations as part of its Gandhigiri to highlight the dangers to commuters.
 
The step become necessary as repeated complaints on Nagpur Live City App failed to move civic machinery and problems remained unsolved, said Prof. Vikas Chedge. He claimed that funds are not the issue as NMC is having about Rs 300 crore and yet one does not know why the potholes are not being repaired to ensure proper paved road for commuters. As a part of the campaign, citizens protested against the administration by placing lighted candles around the pits in their respective neighbourhood. The agitation was held at Zingabai Takli in West Nagpur, Kalamna and Wathoda in East Nagpur, Hazaripahad and Surendragarh in West Nagpur and Narendranagar and Khamla in South West Nagpur. The road near Wathoda dumping yard area is in very poor condition as heavy vehicle traverse on daily basis. Despite repeated requests from locals, the pits were not filled so the Gandhigiri route was adopted. The youths tried to attract the attention of the administration by lighting candles and put flowers around the potholes hoping to make the impact on bureaucrats.
 
Citizens of Kalamna petrol pump area also expressed their anger by lighting lamps around the potholes and posting the photographs on social media to shame the NMC babudom. At Gawande Layout and Godhani Road areas of Zingabai Takli to protested against the inaction on part of corporation officials by putting up earthen lamps around the potholes. Locals said it is risky to commute when water gets accumulated as one cannot gauge the depth of potholes and invariably loose balance and falls down. Number of accidents have increased in the area as loose gravel around the potholes has put citizens live at risk. The locals said besides civic officials their pleas also fell on deaf ears of people's representatives and they have remained indifferent towards their plight.
 
Agitation was also held near Hotel Radisson Blu on London Street area and at Narendra Nagar. Citizens of Hazaripahad and Surendragarh also participated in the campaign by lighting candles around the potholes. Many activists including Amit Bandurkar, Abhijit Jha, Vaibhav Shinde Patil, Abhijit Singh Chandel, Pratik Bairagi, Nikku Hindusthani, Shriya Thackeray, Shashank Gattewar and others were present at the agitation sites. The forum has demanded that Municipal Commissioner Radhakrishnan B should immediately order survey of the potholes and bad roads in the city and undertake a campaign to fill them on war footing. Chedge said in case civic body fails to take corrective steps within 15-days they would start naming the potholes after officers and local political leaders. Municipal administration should show sensitivity towards the question of citizens and complaints about potholes on Nagpur Live City app should not be closed without repairing them. City will be beautiful if priority is given to repairing bad roads instead of cement roads, said Jha.