BENGALURU: An old, broken chair became the unlikely hero at Koramangala’s 5th Main, 17th Cross Road. Placed on a small sinkhole that had emerged in front of a busy hospital 20 days earlier, the broken chair prompted BBMP officials to swing into action and fix the problem.
Residents and shopowners confirmed Friday that the sinkhole was around for 20 days, but the chair was placed 2-3 days ago. Once that was done, BBMP personnel arrived and fixed the sinkhole immediately, they said.
According to BBMP’s executive engineer for south zone, the sinkhole, which was 4ft in diameter, had occurred on a BWSSB manhole. “A video clip of the chair being placed on the sinkhole was shared with us, and despite it being a BWSSB manhole, we immediately fixed it with a wet mix,” he said.
Nand Kishor Shaa, a security guard at Acura Hospital, in front of which the sinkhole had appeared, said, “This hole keeps coming back every now and then, and it is very dangerous, especially as it is right in front of the hospital. Ambulances and vehicles with pregnant women keep using this road to enter the hospital. They keep patching up the sinkhole, and it keeps reappearing.”
Ajesh, a tea shop owner on the road, said: “One day when we came to open the shop, there was a chair placed covering the road sink. The same day, the chair was removed at night and the hole was filled up. The sinkhole was dangerous as people couldn’t see it until they came close.”
A man working in the tea shop said the sinkhole keeps reappearing as the work taken up by officials is always a temporary fix. “Mainly if it rains, people can’t even see there is a hole. On the road surface, the hole looks very small, but if you look into it carefully, you can see a huge empty space beneath,” he shared.
Syed Kasim, owner of another eatery owner in the vicinity, said, “I’m sure someone travelling at night kept the chair there. One morning, I saw the chair kept, and the next day the hole was closed. But it looks like just a temporary fix.”
