Bangalore will name potholes after politicians, promote pothole tourism

In a landmark move, Karnataka government has decided to name potholes after political leaders.

It had to happen one day but we didn’t know it would happen so soon. At a high level meeting in the Vidhan Soudha today, the state cabinet unanimously agreed to a proposal to name potholes on Bangalore roads after state politicians. It was also decided to have a separate department to deal with upkeep of potholes and other killers such as speed breakers in the city.

One of the smaller potholes
in Bangalore

“We have decided to name these engineering marvels after various leaders. On Sunday, our CM will inaugurate a pothole named after former CM Yeddyurappa right in front of the Vidhan Soudha. This pothole is a unique one with a very unique design and you have to go through it to enter the building and we will ensure that every vehicle including two wheelers pass through it so that they remember the wonderful leadership we have in the state,” a senior minister said.  

The minister also urged us to drive across the city to get a feel of the new potholes that have been added as part of the state’s XIth plan. Karnataka has set aside a sum of INR 43 crores to ensure these potholes are maintained well and are available for causing public inconvenience and rainwater harvesting at all times.

Meanwhile a tussle has broken among various political parties for christening potholes after their leaders. Devil Gowda’s party the Janata Dull (S) has threatened to go on a hunger strike unless a huge pothole in M G Road is named after Devil Gowda. "We will decide on a naming convention soon to avoid clashes and bring in clarity. The stature of the minister should be directly proportional to the stature of the minister, in addition to the pain he or she or the pothole causes. We are also considering naming potholes located in close vicinity to each other after the girlfriends and/or wives of senior politicians," the senior minister said.  

Tourism potential
“An internal committee has found that there is tremendous tourism potential that these potholes hold. People across the world have heard about Bangalore’s famous potholes and want to come, see and experience these for themselves and the state government will soon be promoting pothole tourism through a pilot project in Bangalore,” Sreehari M N transport advisor to Karnataka government said. Sreehari’s posh bungalow according to sources is located in a 60X40 pothole in a posh parts of Bangalore.

The state government has also decided to increase the height of all speed breakers in the state by 2 mts.