Dadarao Bilhore has filled more than 350 pockmarks to ensure no one meets with an accident.
On one hand where Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is coming up different excuses for not filling the potholes developed across the city, a 46-year-old Dadarao Bilhore has been busy filling potholes wherever possible.
So far, the man — who lost his son a year ago in a fatal accident caused due to potholes — has filled over 350 pockmarks only to ensure no one meets with an accident. He started the initiative last year in December.
According to him, he does not want anyone to suffer the pain he went through. The incident will complete one year on July 28. Within a year, when Bilhore did not find any necessary action taken by the authority, he himself stepped out of his house to fill the potholes.
While speaking about the work he did so far, Bilhore said: "From December 2015 till date, I filled up over 350 potholes around Andheri and Ghatkopar area. When someone approaches me saying that they saw potholes in a particular area, we go to the site and start filling potholes rather than complaining about it to the concerned authority. We don't wait for the monsoon to arrive."
Extending a helping hand
Over seven of the staff members working with Bilhore at his grocery shop also help him visit various sites and fill the potholes. One of the co-workers, Dharamraj Verma, who accompanies him every time, said: "Since last year I have been accompanying Dadarao to help him fulfill this initiative. Through this initiative, we are saving many lives. We don't go site seeing but when someone comes to us and says that they saw potholes on a particular road, within one or two days we visit the spot and fill the potholes."
Rather than buying materials, they use the materials which are already on the site. "We use mud, debris and paver blocks which are generally found on the site to fill up the potholes. Many people have appreciated our work and help us to locate sites which are majorly affected due to potholes," Verma added.
Justice awaited
Even when the accident was caused on July 28, the complaint against the authority was registered on February 3 this year. During the accident Bilhore lost his 16-year-old son and his 23-year-old nephew was badly injured. He still awaits a court hearing date for this incident.
"We have filed a case against the project engineer of a private company who had a construction work on the road due to which there was a hole on the spot and a civic body engineer under whom the road is under maintenance. I am still fighting for justice. We might get the case hearing date this week."
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 "Dadarao Bilhore")
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