Bengaluru: Fed up with their daily struggle on pothole-ridden roads, a group of school students in Varthur took matters into their own hands. Armed with notebooks and a mission, they set out to survey the very roads they travel every day, documenting the extent of damage. Their shocking discovery: A staggering 139 potholes on just a 650-metre stretch!
The students from Inventure Academy in Varthur surveyed a 650-metre stretch starting from Prestige Lakeside Habitat to KFC towards Gunjur on SH-35 Varthur-Sarjapur Road on Feb 2.

A few potholes they measured had an average length of 112cm and depth of 8.8cm.
What was once an inconvenience soon became a serious concern as potholes worsened, causing buses to lurch dangerously. Jaahnavi Maheshwari, a 12th-grade student, said: “Missing out on study time, extracurricular activities, and comfort pushed us to take action. We realised that potholes were a major reason for slow-moving traffic, so we decided to document them. What started as a small activity turned into a full-fledged survey. We are compiling data, raising awareness, and pushing authorities to act. These potholes have become a part of our daily lives, but we refuse to accept that as normal. We want change.”
Lasya Mohan Varma, an 11th-grade student, added: “Every day, I’d get home exhausted, feeling every bump on the road. It’s not just about us — it’s about our juniors and other people who will have to deal with this after we leave. We’d like to do something to make things better for them.”
Nooraine Fazal, co-founder and managing trustee of the school, said the roads are so bad they had to cut down on school hours. “Ideally, we would stay open for at least an hour longer every day, but after 2.30pm, everyone leaves because the traffic situation is unbearable. Parents don’t want their children stuck on the road for hours. A five-minute delay in departure can mean an extra hour or two spent in traffic.”
The students have submitted their findings to Pothole Raja, who fix potholes in the city, and to BBMP.
BS Prahalad, chief engineer (road infrastructure), BBMP, said, “I got to know about the survey. But that road is under Karnataka Road Development Corporation Ltd and they are responsible of taking care of it. I’ve informed the chief engineer of KRDCL and they will be taking up the repair work.”