Locals unite to repair road in Derebail, fill pothole

Mangaluru: When the number of accidents on the road near Landlinks Township in Derebail, with approximately 2,500 houses, increased due to its deplorable conditions and local authorities failed to address the issue, a group of five men stepped in to make a difference.
Himakar, Raghuram, Sunil Hayavadhan, Ashok Panjiga, and Sharavanan came together to not only repair the road but also launch the campaign ‘Namma Ooru, Namma Raste’ (Our Town, Our Roads).This initiative aims to ensure that locals take responsibility for ensuring that their roads are safe and motorable.
On Sunday, the team addressed a major issue by filling a large pothole where the main road intersects with the first crossroad (main).
They utilised broken asphalt pieces that had been discarded nearby to temporarily mend the pothole. Following their efforts, the next day, the local authorities responded by sending an earthmover to implement additional temporary repairs, said Ashok.
“The team’s goal is to continue this work as part of their campaign. We planned to tackle more potholes near the Indian Overseas Bank of the township and reached out to the community through a WhatsApp group to seek volunteers. To our surprise, even before we could start the work on Tuesday, the local authorities sent an earthmover to carry out temporary repairs,” noted Ashok.
“Due to the current rainy weather, permanent repairs may not be feasible immediately for the authorities, but our focus remains on ensuring the roads are safe and reducing accidents. Local like-minded people should come together and take up such initiatives so that the district has good roads,” said Ashok.
Derebail ward corporator Ranjani Kotian said the road was cut to lay utilities for a hostel and a building. “The owners were instructed to rectify the road, and they did fill it once; however, it did not hold up for long. We have been advising our engineers that if a road is cut, it should be filled immediately. In this case as well, we instructed our engineers, but since there was a slight delay, the public stepped in. Despite this, we visited the site and initiated road repair work, including temporary filling,” she said.