Furious over potholes, local nominates Mumbai for Guinness Book Record
What's the story
Rains, waterlogging, potholes related accidents, BMC claiming everything is under control. Repeat! This has been the tale of Mumbai for as long as one can remember. Now, a resident has come up with an unusual way to shame the authorities about increased potholes in India's financial capital. Considering the potholes, he has nominated the city for Guinness and Limca book of records.
Beginning
On learning, Mumbai has 20,000 potholes, local puts plan-in-motion
Navin Lade, general secretary of Republican Party of India's employment wing, was worried after reading that the city has almost 20,000 potholes. Then the idea of going for world records struck him! Notably, there hasn't been an entry like this. Lade submitted an application to the Guinness book of world records for Rs. 350. He is likely to get a revert in eight weeks.
The support
In his unique quest, Lade wants help from local Mumbaikars
To speed up the process and get notified by the book within five working days, Lade needs to pay $1000, which is non-refundable. He is ready to bear the cost but wants to have proofs supporting his claim, for which he wants help from fellow Mumbaikars. He has asked them to forward pictures/videos of potholes to him on 9664017777 or navinlade@gmail.com.
The plan
The photographs, videos will be used to support claim
Once the authorities accept Lade's application, they would most likely visit the city, and he will have to bear that cost too. Upon visit, the authorities will verify the claims. It is possible that the rains may stop when they visit. The civic bodies could also fill the potholes. This is when Lade plans to use photographs sourced from locals.
Details
Lade hopes a 'distinction' might wake up authorities
Explaining the reason behind this route, Lade said people kept dying but authorities didn't wake up from their slumber. "Despite high death toll, those in power seem unaffected and keep repeating their old promises. Perhaps a dubious distinction of this kind would shame them into action," he said. If the record is approved, Lade plans to give the certificate to BMC commissioner Ajoy Mehta.
Statistcs
Streets and potholes: A match made in hell
In 2017, 726 people died due to potholes in Maharashtra. These frequent incidents caught even the Supreme Court's attention. The top court recently termed potholes related deaths frightening and said those tasked with maintaining roads are not doing their work properly. For all its glitz and glamor, Mumbai does turn deadly every monsoon and probably a world record will force authorities to act.