Tasdeeq Bushra’s Death
Tasdeeq Bushra was 19. On her way back from her first day in college, Tasdeeq was knocked off the two-wheeler she was riding on the Lingarajapuram-Hennur Main Road, by a BBMP truck. She died on the spot. She was trying to avoid a crater on the road, a common sight on most roads now in Bangalore.
Tasdeeq always wanted to be a doctor and serve people. She worked hard to obtain a merit seat and landed one through the NEET exam. It was her first day of donning the white coat with a stethoscope dangling around her neck. Her family had seen her off to college feeling proud that she was finally on her way to realising her dreams. Tragically, destiny had different plans for this bright, young girl.
The callous negligence of road maintenance by our agencies has cost Tasdeeq and her family dearly. Her parents and younger brother are shattered by the loss of a loving human being they had in their lives.
Who Killed Tasdeeq Bushra?
Between them, the BBMP, BESCOM and BWSSB – the three agencies taking care of the Municipality, its Electricity and Water Supply – are primarily answerable for ruining Bengaluru’s roads. However, they are apathetic in fulfilling their responsibilities, and quick to shift blame from one to the other when an accident is caused by the condition of the roads. The situation is exacerbated by the corruption that invariably surrounds government contracts – vendors who “win” the orders recoup the money they lost to bribes by cutting corners in execution.
Bengaluru was the only major Indian city to register an increase both in accidents and fatalities, in 2019. This was after 2018 proved to be the worst in Bengaluru’s history: accidents and those injured more than doubled and it shot up from 12th in the list of worst hit cities with populations of more than a crore, to 3rd.
Even the BBMP was forced to admit in January 2020 that at least 25% of Bengaluru’s roads are pothole-ridden. One year later, they were still speaking of fixing more than 6600 potholes and 164 roads that need a complete make-over.
The 2020 data bucks the trend because of lockdowns – not because the road conditions improved. Despite being a vibrant and growing neighbourhood, East Bengaluru’s roads and streets remain some of the most neglected in the city. Pleas to authorities to fix the condition of the Hennur Main Road, an arterial avenue, have fallen on deaf ears since 2016.
What Can We as Citizens Do?
Bushra’s death is not the first to occur, on Hennur Main Road or other roads of Bengaluru - due to riders trying to avoid potholes. For a city that collects one of the highest road taxes in India from its residents, roads and streets should not endanger our limbs or lives. Potholes are one of the reasons for traffic congestion and road accidents, especially among two-wheeler riders. Even the Karnataka High Court had ruled that bad roads and footpaths violate Fundamental Rights of Citizens.
People have been protesting the poor condition of roads not just in the Central Business District of Bengaluru, but also in the outer zones where roads are dug up for laying of utilities. While on the one hand, the authorities refuse to repair the roads blaming the pandemic for lack of staff, on the other they have been busy digging up the roads.
Sign This Petition
Through this petition to the BBMP, let us demand that the quality of our roads be restored on priority. As schools, colleges, and offices open up, more people will be commuting on two-wheelers. And bad roads that cause accidents are the last thing families want to be dealing with along with a pandemic that still threatens humanity.
Sign this petition now!