Pothole turns into ‘crocodile pond’ in Bengaluru

June 19, 2015

Bengaluru, Jun 19: What do you do if you find a full-grown 'crocodile' in the middle of a busy city road? Most would scream out in terror, naturally. And that's what happened on Thursday on Sulthanpalya Main Road in north Bengaluru that took the motorists and locals by surprise.

People, spotted a life-size crocodile in one of the water-filled potholes, were about to scream for help on spotting the reptile, but soon realised it was a novel way of protest by a 36-year-old visual artist.

Frustrated by the failure of the BBMP to repair a giant pothole and a broken water pipe in the middle of the main road, Baadal Nanjundaswamy, a former visualiser with a leading advertising agency, planted the 20 kg life-sized crocodile in the 12-feet-long pothole and painted the ‘pond’ in green.

“A drinking water pipe broke about a month ago. The subsequent rain and constant traffic has eroded the road creating a big pot hole. Authorities have showed no response to rectifying it. Locals have complained to the BBMP and the BWSSB to no avail. I am hoping they will take some action now,” Nanjundaswamy said.

The artist created his fiber crocodile over a week’s time at a personal cost of Rs 6000.

This is not the first time that Nanjundaswamy has used his creativity for civic activism. Last year, he had turned an open manhole into the mouth of ‘Yamaraj’ – to suggest that it was a death trap – and authorities fixed it within a day.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

Mangaluru’s ₹1,200 crore fix: Massive sewage overhaul to end city’s drainage woes

News Network

December 19,2025

Mangaluru: In a decisive move to tackle the city’s deteriorating sanitation infrastructure, the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) has announced a massive ₹1,200 crore action plan to overhaul its underground drainage (UGD) network.

The initiative, spearheaded by Deputy Commissioner and MCC Administrator Darshan HV, aims to bridge "missing links" in the current system that have left residents grappling with overflowing sewage and environmental hazards.

The Breaking Point

The announcement follows a high-intensity phone-in session on Thursday, where the DC was flooded with grievances from frustrated citizens. Residents, including Savithri from Yekkur, described a harrowing reality: raw sewage from apartments leaking into stormwater drains, creating a "permanent stink" and turning residential zones into mosquito breeding grounds.

"We are facing immense difficulties due to the stench and the health risks. Local officials have remained silent until now," one resident reported during the session.

The Strategy: A Six-Year Vision

DC Darshan HV confirmed that the proposed plan is not a temporary patch but a comprehensive six-year roadmap designed to accommodate Mangaluru’s projected population growth. Key highlights of the plan include:

• Infrastructure Expansion: Laying additional pipelines to connect older neighborhoods to the main grid.

• STP Crackdown: Stricter enforcement of Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) regulations. While new apartments are required to have functional STPs, many older buildings lack them entirely, and several newer units are reportedly non-functional.

• Budgetary Push: The plan has already been discussed with the district in-charge minister and the Secretary of the Urban Development Department. It is slated for formal presentation in the upcoming state budget.

Comments