If you’re planning a road trip from H.D. Kote to Kakanakote, you’d better have a sturdy spine—literally. The stretch, roughly 14 km long, is filled with potholes so deep and frequent that they turn every ride into a bone-rattling ordeal.

This road, barely worthy of its name, is in such poor condition that it feels more like a battlefield than a transport route. With each bump and dip, the comfort of passengers is shaken. During monsoon, the trouble doubles—rainwater fills the potholes, making travel even more exhausting and dangerous.

It’s unclear when this road last saw a proper layer of asphalt. The deteriorated surface has become symbolic—almost mocking—the repeated “development” promises of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

Locals joke that traveling here requires the nuts and bolts in your body to be tightly fastened. In fact, a trip on this stretch could very well lead straight to an orthopedic consultation. Thousands of vehicles travel this route daily, and incidents of tires getting stuck in deep pits are common.

Meanwhile, elected representatives and government officials, cocooned in plush vehicles, remain blissfully unaware of the nightmare faced by regular commuters. A single trip in a government car down this route would expose them to the harsh reality.

Despite crores being allocated for road improvements, this particular stretch worsens by the day. Frustration is mounting among locals. If swift repairs aren’t initiated, the government may soon find itself facing public fury and protests.