A 32-year-old central government employee with the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) in Bengaluru was killed on Thursday, August 13, following a vehicle accident while travelling to work. Medha Akarsh from Kerala, was riding pillion with her colleague on a two-wheeler on Ananth Nagar Main Road, near Electronics City Phase II, when she met with the mishap.
According to reports, a car ahead suddenly braked after a pedestrian moved towards the middle of the road. The two-wheeler rider also braked, causing the scooter to skid on a slushy, damaged stretch of road. Medha was thrown onto the road and into the path of an approaching mini goods vehicle.
She was rushed to a private hospital but succumbed to her injuries. The mishap occurred around 3 km from her home, reports said. She leaves behind her husband and three-year-old son.
Following the accident, residents blamed the poor condition of the road for the mishap. According to a Times of India report, residents said the stretch had remained in poor condition for years, with potholes, waterlogging and damaged road surfaces making daily commuting hazardous.
Residents held a candlelight march at Ananth Nagar on Wednesday evening and also staged a road blockade, demanding immediate repairs and accountability from civic authorities. Protesters accused the Chandapura municipal council of negligence over the condition of the roads in the area.
The recurrence of potholes in the stretch has been attributed partly to roads being repeatedly dug up for water and sewage pipelines, electricity cables, gas lines and optical fibre networks. Delayed or poor-quality restoration can leave repaired stretches vulnerable to further deterioration.
The issue has also drawn a response from Karnataka Minister Santosh Lad. Santhosh expressed his condolences to Medha’s family while saying that the presence of a pothole did not by itself mean the entire infrastructure was poor.
“I am saddened by it and my sympathies are with the family. There could definitely have been a pothole. But a pothole does not mean that the entire infrastructure is poor or that we have not spent money. We have spent a lot of money, and every year we provide the necessary justification,” he said.
While the police have identified the sudden braking as the cause of mishap, residents have argued that the damaged and slippery road surface made it fatal.
Following the protest, residents said the municipal council agreed to hold an urgent meeting with them, department officials and road contractors. The meeting has been scheduled for Thursday morning at Ananth Nagar temple hall, where residents are expected to raise concerns over road conditions and repair work.