Bengaluru: A major tragedy was narrowly averted on Friday morning when a school bus carrying around 20 children nearly toppled after slipping into slush on Balagere Main Road, a stretch notorious for its potholes and poor condition.
The incident
Dashboard camera footage from a car behind the bus shows the driver attempting to overtake another school bus from the left. In the process, one of the bus’s tyres sank into soft ground, causing it to tilt dangerously and nearly topple.
Fortunately, locals immediately rushed to the spot and opened the emergency exit door, safely evacuating all the children. No injuries were reported.
Residents protest against civic apathy
Following the incident, residents staged a protest holding placards with the slogan: “Refund tax, we will build our city.”
“That is the only way out because we pay the highest tax. Each of our flats is about ₹2 crore in this area. But we are not getting the infrastructure we deserve,” one resident told NDTV.
Another protester said the road had been in the same state for years. “They (officials) have not done anything for the drain. The condition has worsened in the past three years,” she added.
Residents also alleged that officials blocked the road last week but only repaired a small patch instead of fixing the problem comprehensively.
Voices from students and parents
A student who uses the road daily said it had become increasingly hard to distinguish between potholes and the road itself.
Parents and children had earlier written a letter to Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar highlighting the deteriorating condition of Balagere Road. “It has made commuting increasingly difficult and unsafe for us,” the letter stated.
Growing anger over infrastructure
The incident has reignited concerns over Bengaluru’s road infrastructure, particularly in fast-developing residential areas where residents say their tax contributions are high but civic amenities remain neglected.
While Friday’s accident ended without casualties, residents fear that without urgent repair and drainage work, future incidents may not be so fortunate.