Team led by 72-year-old man fix potholes in M'luru

Mangaluru: Upset with the pathetic state of roads in the city and fed up with the apathy of civic authorities, a bunch of activists led by a 72-year-old man hit the streets of the city and started in filling potholes – a menace which plagues their lives every day.

Gilbert D’Souza, 72, proprietor, Souza Enterprises, Mangaluru along with a group of activists were seen filling potholes in the city on November 7. Potholes in the junctions of Pumpwell Circle, Bendoorwell, Kankanady, MG Road and other areas were filled up with the help of workers in a few hours.

98-year-old Joe Gonsalves, a senior traffic warden, Arjun Mascarenhas, a civic activist, 50-year-old Naseer also joined hands with the Gilbert in his Nobel initiative. A city-based businessman, Abdul Rauf Puttige, provided concrete, sand and other material to fill up the potholes as a temporary measure.

“We decided to fill potholes on the road connecting Kankanady to Pumpwell. People started avoiding this stretch because of potholes. A barricade was placed, but that was not serving the purpose. After observing the situation for some time, we decided to fill the potholes. Filling a pothole is not a big issue, anyone can do it,” Gilbert D’Souza was quoted speaking to TOI.

The efforts of this group of citizens is being widely appreciated by the commuters and general public.