Dadarao Bilhore started filling up potholes across the city after his son crashed into a crater and died three years ago. Now, his sister-in-law has suffered serious injuries due to potholes

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Potholes return to haunt grieving dad

Bilhore fills up potholes in the city after the death of his son Prakash.

Goregaon resident Radha Bilhore suffered cuts to forehead and left eye on July 12 while riding pillion to his son Ram, who was also steering the bike when Dadarao’s son died.The man who made it a mission to personally fill up as many potholes as he can across the city after losing his son to a pothole-related accident in 2015, now finds his kin inflicted with serious injuries in a similar mishap. Goregaon resident Dadarao Bilhore, who has single-handedly filled up hundreds of potholes from Goregaon to Mankhurd, literally found the craters chasing his family when his sister-in-law Radha, riding pillion to her son Ram on July 12, landed on her face after their motorbike hit a pothole on the. Ironically, 10 days before the mishap, Bilhore had filled up potholes on the very stretch where Radha and her son crashed into one.While Radha, 46, ended up with four stitches on the forehead, a deep cut on the left eye, and multiple bruises, her 25-year-old son Ram is filled with remorse and self-loathing, as he was the one steering the bike three years ago when his cousin Prakash – Bilhore’s son – died when they hit a pothole on the. The cousins lived in the same house and were returning home after completing 16-year-old Prakash’s admission formalities at ain Bhandup.“I am not sure whetheroris at fault for the July 12 incident. I don’t even know whether any agency will be held accountable, as I’m awaiting justice for my son who died three years ago. This, despite filing a police complaint and moving court,” Bilhore said.The Bilhores operate a grocery shop in Marol and have been advised by well-wishers to buy a car. “Friends and relatives tell us to do away with the two-wheeler. Apart from the fact that we can’t afford one, why can’t those riding two-wheelers be ensured of a safe drive?” he asked.The family is also attempting to console Ram, who has developed a fear of riding two-wheelers after the latest incident. For him, watching his mother in pain has reopened the three-year-old wounds. Said his mother Radha, “I have already lost my nephew and my son blames himself for everything because of this latest incident. The pothole was filled with water and there was no way anyone could have spotted it.”She said that the judiciary should ensure that the government and the bureaucrats are made accountable for such mishaps. “I cannot go to my shop because of injuries. Who will compensate for the medical expense? Why should my family be at the receiving end of someone’s carelessness?” Radha asked.Bilhore, whose work was reported by this newspaper (‘A dad fills up city’s potholes, to fix the hole in his heart’, MM, February 1, 2016), said he’ll continue to fill up the potholes because he doesn’t want to see more such incidents. “Those who have lost their family members in such mishaps will realise what I’m going through,” he said.Meanwhile, the Bombay High Court on Friday directed the state government to clarify who was responsible for the maintenance and repair of the Mumbai-Goa National Highway. A bench of Justices AS Oka and RI Chagla also asked the state government to inform the court of the steps it had taken, either to repair the potholes along the highway or ask the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to do so.The bench gave the directions while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by lawyer Owais Pechkar, who said stretch between Panvel and Goa on the National Highway 66 was riddled with potholes and posed a threat to the lives of countless commuters each day.Also, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) slammed the BMC for its “inefficient ways and lack of transparency” while awarding contracts for road construction and maintenance. The report said that between 2011and 2017, the BMC could spend only 57% of budgeted funds for the road construction and maintenance. The CAG recommended that the BMC avoid awarding of works/attaching additional works without inviting tenders, which should be awarded in accordance with the prescribed rules and guidelines.