Issue and Opponent: In Raipur, India potholes have been left unattended by the local government and had begun to pose a risk to the safety of travelers and commuters. The situation is particularly bad after and during monsoon rains, as these potholes are difficult to notice under rainwater. Some residents have even described their commute to work as “torture” because of these potholes. It was a widely held belief that the local Indian government and its officials should make this issue a priority and fix these potholes.
Dilemma Action: In attempts to get the attention of local politicians, residents in Raipur began performing ceremonies to name potholes after Indian authorities. In general, three potholes had been named after these Indian authorities. Chief minister Raman Singh had a pothole named after him by the name “Raman Gaddha”, as did the minister of public works Brijimohan Agarwal, whose pothole was named “Brijimohna Gaddha”, and the minister of Housing and Development, whose pothole was named “Munat buddha”.
Outcome: In response, local politicians attempted to explain why the issue had not been addressed, and though they promised that the issue would be evaluated and investigated, nothing has come of it. The Indian officials could not have ignored the ceremonies, as if they did they would be implying that they were fine with putting their citizens at risk of potentially fatal conditions on a simple commute to work.