I Fix Chennai. Campaign Update.

by Vijay Anand

There is a verse in the bible that says, If Two people on Earth agree on something… it shall be done. Not one, two or five, but 17 people were out on a night – when there was an India-Pakistan match going on, to fix potholes. I couldn’t have been much more assured and confident of this team that we have, and the commitment of the people who came out.

Things have improved much, compared to last time and here is a gist:

1. We have a much better understanding of how to fix potholes. The cement – water ratio, to the setting time, how to protect the potholes till the cement dries up, etc.

2. We had a team that went to check on all the potholes in the morning, water it, and also meet with the residents around that area to create awareness that it is going to be their responsibility to take care of the roads from now on. The response has been very comforting. I would ideally hope that we would not have to go into the same area again.

3. Findnearyou.com had sponsored the team with reflector jackets. When you are out in the middle of a road in the ungodly hours of the night, you get to meet a lot of drunken drivers. The jackets do help a lot. I have to say that, With the jacket everybody became “professional” about fixing roads :) Thanks goes to Ram and Seshadri of Findnearyou.com.

4. We had an individual sponsor this month’s initiative to cover the costs. She is a fabulous person to interact with, being a veteran in getting involved in the matters of a cleaner city. It has been good to interact with such people to understand the Do’s and dont’s and how to get moving and keeping this sustainable.

5. What has been most surprising is the support that local authorities have been showing. Every single police authority that we met during the night had nothing but good words to say. There were even a few people who stopped their cars, and got off to enquire about this. It is worth mentioning this because when we first planned this, our well-meaning friends, all they had to say was “you might get arrested” :)

It was a good night. The team is starting to bond very well, and being the second time, I have a feeling that we’ve started something that’s going to make a much bigger impact, much sooner than we anticipated.

Vijay

PS: The Pictures for the campaign will be up tomorrow on the Wiki (http://pothole.pbwiki.com)