Days after a bus carrying around 20 school children had a narrow escape from a major accident on the treacherous Panathur–Balagere stretch in Bengaluru, another school bus got stuck in an under-construction
drain, bringing renewed attention to Bengaluru’s worsening road infrastructure.
Bengaluru has been under scrutiny for its infrastructure and traffic problems. The latest incident took place near the Skanda Moksh Society on Panathur-Balagere road, where one of the wheels of the bus sank in an under-construction stormwater drain, according to NDTV.
A video went viral on social media showing a JCB machine being used to push the bus out of the drain, while passersby watched the operation. “The numbers are ticking .. how long should we struggle like this. Isn’t it enough?” a user said on X.
And another bus entering skanda moksh at panathur balegere to drop kids. Wheel stuck in storm drain. The numbers are ticking .. how long shud we struggle like this. Isn’t it enough? Such arrogance calling this politics and calling quit msg as threatening. Shame. pic.twitter.com/qVlbcsjBK5
— Girish 🙈🙉🙊 (@vcgirish) September 19, 2025
This came nearly a week after a school bus was plying on the slush-filled, crater-ridden Panathur-Balagere road when it tilted dangerously to one side after the surface gave way. The incident has raised concerns over the road infrastructure of the city and safety of locals.
The rain in the monsoon season has triggered potholes at several places in the city, also disrupting the traffic movements.
ALSO READ: Overnight Rains Batter Bengaluru: Waterlogging, Traffic Chaos Hit City; Yellow Alert Issued
Bengaluru Under Fire Over Road Safety
Bengaluru’s endless traffic jams, soaring property prices, and potholes have left many residents frustrated. Matters came to a head when Rajesh Yabaji, the co-founder of online trucking platform BlackBuck, announced his decision to move out of its current location at Bellandur on Bengaluru’s Outer Ring Road (ORR) over commute problems.
“ORR (Bellandur) has been our “office + home” for the last 9 years. But it’s now very-very hard to continue here. We have decided to move out,” Yabaji said on X, adding that the average commute for colleagues has increased over 1.5 hours and roads are full of potholes and dust.
Yabaji said that the the average commute for his colleagues was more than one and half hours one way. The roads are riddled with potholes and dust, “with little intent to fix them” he said, adding he didn’t expect it to change in the next five years.
A Twitter thread that went viral captured the mood of many residents. Yogesh (@Spartacus_Tweet) called the property rates in Bellandur “massively overvalued,” comparing builders’ asking prices to “Chicago and Dubai for the infrastructure of Somalia.”
Another user questioned why companies continue to stick to Bellandur despite its notorious congestion. “It’s absurd that Prestige and Sattva are building new tech parks right at the core of the jam,” he wrote.
Former Infosys CFO and Padma Shri awardee Mohandas Pai has urged Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar to reassure the business community and focus on fixing the city’s ailing infrastructure.
Later, industry leaders, including Pai and Biocon Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, flagged the situation as a governance failure and called for “emergency measures”. Notably, DK Shivakumar has set a deadline of November for contractors to fill potholes across Bengaluru amid mounting criticism.
