Vasco bus operators stage protest, fill risky potholes

VASCO

Bus operators in Vasco staged a unique protest to express their frustration and civic concern, when they filled potholes along the potholed stretch near Umiya Building in Sancoale on Friday.

The protest, carried out by a group of local bus drivers and operators, was aimed at drawing attention to the dangerous condition of roads impacted by the ongoing flyover construction by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) contractor.

As regular traffic moved along the battered stretch, the protesting operators worked with stones and mud to plug potholes that have made driving extremely risky for passenger buses. The demonstrators claimed that their safety concerns had been ignored repeatedly, and the lack of basic road maintenance had become a serious hazard.

“Every day, we drive over these roads and fear for the lives of our passengers. The potholes are deep and uneven, and with the road constantly degrading, accidents are just waiting to happen. We’ve raised this issue several times, but no one has taken action,” one bus operator said.

The protest came in the wake of a recent fatal bus accident in the area.

While preliminary reports blamed the driver’s alleged intoxication, operators insist the poor condition of the road was the real culprit.

“The road is so wavy and broken that any vehicle can lose balance.” one driver noted,

The protest against the roads happened after a bus with passengers almost tilted on the damaged road stretch on Friday morning 

A driver recalled how a bus nearly tilted dangerously while transporting passengers from Verna earlier in the day.

Passengers, he said, screamed in fear and ultimately got off to walk past the most treacherous section of the route.

“If that bus had flipped, another tragedy would have been blamed on the driver, while the government continues to turn a blind eye,” he said.

The operators slammed the NHAI contractor, accusing them of damaging the roads during flyover work and failing to restore them.

“The contractor has left the roads in a mess—damaged, uneven, and full of potholes. It’s left, right and centre,” said another operator.

While the protest drew attention from passing motorists and locals, it also underscored the growing dissatisfaction among transport workers who risk their lives daily on dangerous routes.

The operators have urged authorities to hold the contractor accountable and carry out urgent road repairs to ensure the safety of commuters and prevent further accidents.