@dcpSEbcp The nail menace continues... Nails collected today from ORR, opposite to Agara Lake. pic.twitter.com/ICpoZfJBJH — Benedict Jebakumar (@benedictjkumar) February 23, 2015

Since he came to Bengaluru in 2012, Benedict Jebakumar has been taking the Outer Ring Road (ORR) to travel from his home in Banashankari to his office in Bellandur. He noticed that his two-wheeler often got punctured on the ORR near Silk Board While he initially blamed his bike's tyre quality , he soon realised that all the nails were of the same type and were found at spots close to puncture shops.When punctures continued to be the routine the next two years, Benedict decided to take things into his own hands.“Since July 2014, I have been combing the road for nails.Initially, I used to collect them with bare hands, now I use a foldable magnetic stick,“ said the 44-year-old systems engineer at Intuit Technology Services. He leaves home around 7 am every morning, stops by specific points on the road and makes them nail ree.The same action is repeat on the way back, provided there is not much traffic. “The main objective is to spread awareness among people. I will not stop till the authorities sit up and take notice,“ he said.In October 2014, he started a Facebook page called `My Road, My Responsibility', where he documents his daily findings along with a photograph of the nails on weighing scales.Image: My Road, My Responsibility (Facebook)There have been days when his bag gets filled with nails and he has to head back without collecting more. On March 21 alone, he combed a record 1,654 nails off the road. Till date, he has collected around 37 kg of nails.He explained that the authorities were either lethargic or that the problem was not big enough for them to pay attention. “It causes a lot of inconvenience to commuters. They might fall down from the vehicle or even get into accidents,“ he pointed out.“Two arrests have been made in the past but miscreants were released within three months and the nails were back on the road.“He noted that in the absence of CCTV cameras or official validation for puncture shops, it becomes tough to pin people down.Boralingaiah MB, DCP Southeast, lauds Jebakumar's efforts but laments that people do not come forward with complaints. “If we are intimated, we can get more insight into the issue, work closely with people and keep in touch. I have noted the social media posts and have instructed my officers to look into it.“ Jebakumar hopes that someday , authorities will find a permanent solution to this menace.“Till then, I will continue as I am helping many people,“ he said.