Gangadhara Tilak Katnam: The Pothole Man of Hyderabad

Where it Actually Started

In 2011, Gangadhara Tilak Katnam was 65, working as a software engineer at MMTS (Multi-Modal Transport System).

On a routine drive to work, his car hit a pothole so violently that he stopped immediately. A school bus behind him swerved and almost lost balance. That close call pushed a blunt realisation:

There was no "campaign plan," no blueprint. Just irritation turning into responsibility.

The First Repair

He simply bought cold mix asphalt, put it in the car, and filled one pothole near Madhapur.

That one repair became two. Two became ten. And in six months, fixing potholes became his full-time routine.

He Quit His Job to Fix Roads

In 2012, he resigned from his engineering job so he could dedicate his time fully to road repairs. Not many people quit white-collar careers to do manual work on boiling hot highways. He did. He turned his Maruti 800 into a mobile repair unit — cement bags, gravel, asphalt mix, iron rods, water. Everything. Paid from his pension and savings.

Numbers That Aren't Guesswork

These are hard verified numbers from government and media records:

These numbers aren't inflated — these are what Hyderabad civic officials themselves endorsed.

Shramadaan: When His Work Became a Movement

In 2013, after multiple media reports, strangers started calling him and asking:

"There's a pothole near my lane — will you fix it?"

He realised doing it alone won't scale.

So he founded Shramadaan — a citizen-driven volunteer movement.

The idea was insanely simple:

By 2014, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) formally collaborated with him so they could respond faster and use his reporting network.

The Government Actually Ended Up Learning from Him

Katnam's fixes were faster, cheaper, and more reliable than theirs.

He proved:

• Potholes don't need three layers of files.
• They don't need tender processes.
• They don't need six inspections.
• They just need someone who gives a damn and knows basic engineering logic.

Why His Work Is More Than Feel-Good Content

India recorded 3,625 pothole-related deaths in 2022 (MoRTH).

That number is embarrassing for a country that builds world-class expressways yet fails at maintaining basic urban roads.

Katnam's work is proof of something uncomfortable:

One retiree with a bag of asphalt solved a problem entire departments took years to even acknowledge.

Awards and Recognition (All Verified)

• CNN-IBN Real Heroes Award (2014)
• Karmaveer Chakra Award
• Appreciation from GHMC & Telangana Government
• Featured in multiple national media outlets including NDTV, The Hindu, Times of India.

He rejected the "activist" tag repeatedly. He preferred one word: citizen.

What He Proved

• You don't need authority to improve a city.
• You don't need a camera crew to do impactful work.
• You don't need a title to save lives — you need intent.
• And intent is what India lacks the most.

His Legacy

Katnam stopped counting potholes after 1,000.

Not because he wanted to hide numbers — he simply didn't care about the scoreboard.

He cared about preventing crashes.