Good Samaritans: Businessman Gilbert D’Souza directs the filling up of a pothole in Mangaluru

Mangaluru: The pathetic state of roads in the city has prompted Good Samaritans to fill potholes. Netizens were quick to laud the efforts of constable Puttarama , recently, who was seen fixing a pothole. Now, a senior citizen is leading a mission to fill potholes , putting the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) to shame, was their opinion.

Gilbert D’Souza, 72, proprietor, Souza Enterprises, Mangaluru, decided to take on the issue in the Gandhian way. While, the corporation has been blaming the extended monsoon for the pathetic condition of city roads, Gilbert decided to take the lead in filling potholes. He was recently seen filling potholes near Bendoor. Gilbert was supported by Arjun Mascarenhas and Abdul Rauf, businessmen, Naseer, realtor and Joe Gonsalves, head, traffic warden squad.

Gilbert told TOI: “We decided to fill potholes on the road connecting Kankanady to Pumpwell. People started avoiding this stretch because of potholes. A barricade was placed, but that was not serving the purpose. After observing the situation for some time, we decided to fill the potholes. Filling a pothole is not a big issue, anyone can do it,” he said.

With the intent of taking up civic issues, he launched the Indian Service Club in 1991. Back then, they had initiated clean city drives. They managed to clean Vas Lane. When he could not garner enough support to clean Arya Samaj Road, the club dissolved. “This time the support has been encouraging. Filling a pothole will not cost more than Rs 10,000, but the job must be taken up immediately, that is, the pothole must not be allowed to grow. We have filled about three potholes and will soon take up more in the coming week. The city police have extended support to our movement,” said Gilbert.

They have used concrete mix to fill potholes. He hopes to use interlocks for future projects. “We are also planning to use granite pieces to fill potholes in the future. With this, pothole filling can be taken up even during the monsoon. We are hoping that more youngsters come forward and join us in our mission,” he said.

Recently, Gilbert’s brother Michael D’Souza rewarded constable Puttarama in recognition of his good work.

