It takes foreign influencer’s viral video for GBA to act on broken, pothole-ridden stretches in Indiranagar

It took a foreign national influencer’s viral video for the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) to notice what Bengaluru residents had been complaining about for months.

After Canadian influencer Caleb Friesen posted a video on social media platforms showing the broken, pothole-ridden and poorly maintained stretch of 12th Main in Indiranagar, the GBA moved quickly, “fixing” the damaged road patches and broken footpath. But the civic body’s quick response has now triggered a backlash from citizens, who have questioned why the same complaints from the residents failed to elicit action until the issue was highlighted by an influencer.

Many have called the influencer to their area to make a video so the GBA can act.

In his video, Mr. Friesen showed piles of rubble, broken and missing footpath slabs, large craters and trees being used as garbage bins along the 12th Main.

“The footpaths of 12th Main in Indiranagar are a mess,” Mr. Friesen said. Pointing to the area as a hub for start-ups and venture capital, he added, “Billions in venture capital have been invested in this part of town. The footpaths could use some love too.”

“In any other country, this would be unacceptable,” he said, adding that while he makes videos highlighting innovation and development in India, it was “demoralising and frustrating” to see the condition of Bengaluru’s infrastructure. “People from outside come here to meet founders but end up meeting this reality,” he said.

A day after the video went viral, the GBA put out a video showing the same stretch after the repairs.

Arun Pai of Walkaluru featured in the video, walking along the 12th Main and showing the portions that had been fixed.

The quick turnaround, however, drew sharp reactions from citizens. “A foreigner should not have to drop a sarcastic video of broken footpaths for the Greater Bengaluru Authority to act,” a citizen said, questioning why repeated complaints from people living in the area had not resulted in similar action.

Several others also questioned whether the work could be called a repair at all, arguing that the damaged portions appeared to have simply been filled with concrete and arguing that this could hardly be described as a proper restoration of a walkable footpath.

This is, however, not the first time Mr. Friesen’s videos have prompted a quick civic response in Bengaluru. In September 2025, he posted a video showing broken footpaths and poor civic conditions around Majestic. The following day, a team led by Walkaluru and then Central Corporation Commissioner P. Rajendra Cholan visited the area, cleaned and even sat and ate on the footpath to highlight the cleanliness.