7 hrs ago
Bengaluru Entrepreneur Repairs Footpath After Complaints, Sparking Online Debate
A footpath near Siddharth Dialani’s home in Bengaluru had been broken for a long time.
He said he asked city authorities several times to repair it.
He contacted different offices, filed a service ticket and used a WhatsApp helpline.
He said nobody answered his complaints.
So, he paid Rs 2,700 to have a ramp built himself.
He said the ramp would help people using strollers and wheelchairs.
He shared pictures of the repair online.
The post became popular and started a debate.
Some people liked his initiative, while others said public repairs should be done by officials or contractors.
BharatAgri CEO Siddharth Dialani said a footpath near his Koramangala housing society had remained damaged for years.
Dialani said he contacted the BBMP, Greater Bengaluru Authority, a service-ticket system and a WhatsApp helpline without receiving a response.
He spent Rs 2,700 on labour and cement to build a ramp on the damaged section.
Dialani said the repair would help parents with strollers and senior citizens using wheelchairs.
The viral post drew both praise for taking action and criticism of unauthorized individual repairs.
- Who
- Siddharth Dialani, founder and CEO of BharatAgri, repaired the footpath himself after making complaints to civic authorities.
- What
- A damaged section of footpath was repaired with a ramp costing Rs 2,700.
- Where
- Near Dialani’s housing society in Koramangala, Bengaluru.
- When
- The footpath had reportedly been damaged for years; the articles do not provide a specific repair date.
- Why
- Dialani said he acted after receiving no response to repeated complaints and wanted to improve access for people with strollers and wheelchairs.
Supporters of Individual Action
Critics of Individual Repairs
Who should address broken public infrastructure?
Supporters of Individual Action
Supporters saw Dialani’s repair as a practical response after his complaints allegedly received no response.
Critics of Individual Repairs
Critics argued that civic authorities and contractors should handle public repairs instead of individuals taking matters into their own hands.
Impact of the repair
Supporters of Individual Action
Dialani said the ramp would make the footpath easier to use for parents with strollers and senior citizens using wheelchairs.
Critics of Individual Repairs
One commenter criticized the repair as potentially improper and argued that individual action could interfere with officials’ and contractors’ work.
Public services and expectations
Supporters of Individual Action
Dialani said he acted after losing hope in the municipality.
Critics of Individual Repairs
Another commenter said residents pay taxes for repairs and should continue expecting government services rather than accepting this situation.
Key facts
- Person
- Siddharth Dialani, founder and CEO of BharatAgri
- Location
- Koramangala, Bengaluru
- Repair cost
- Rs 2,700, including labour and cement
- Authorities contacted
- BBMP, Greater Bengaluru Authority, a service-ticket system and a WhatsApp helpline
- Reported purpose
- To improve access for parents with strollers and senior citizens using wheelchairs
- Online response
- The post went viral and generated mixed reactions
- Additional detail
- Dialani was named to Forbes India’s 30 Under 30 list in 2020
Quotes
Siddharth Dialani
Bengaluru-based founder and IIT alumnus who paid for the footpath repair
“The footpath near my society at Koramangala has been broken since years! I complained to BBMP, sent email to GBA, raised ticket and chatted with their WA helpline but got no response.”
indianexpress.com
“We should work together and scale this to more areas of Bengaluru.”
NDTV
An online commenter
Social-media user commenting sarcastically on Dialani’s repair
“A contractor should've made Rs 30,000-50,000 fixing this, but you ruined it by taking matters into your own hands. If everyone behaved like this, how would officials and contractors make a living?”
NDTV
Sources
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