When roads crack, so does public trust. India’s potholes are less about asphalt and more about accountability

By Chitra Saruparia

Over the past week, two of India’s tech cities, Hyderabad and Bengaluru, were rocked by protests that were unrelated to data centres or AI start-ups. The trigger was potholes.

On Bengaluru’s Hosa Road and Jail Road, hundreds of residents gathered to demand repairs. At Varthur-Gunjur, outrage erupted after a pothole-related accident claimed a life. Protesters demanded not just smoother roads but traffic lights, proper turning points, and long-term planning. Their argument was simple: as taxpayers, they had a right to safe infrastructure.

In Hyderabad, too, crowds poured into the streets over deteriorating road conditions. Sometimes, they come up with novel pr

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