Canadian vlogger's video prompts civic authorities in Bengaluru to clean up neglected pavements
Bengaluru(PTI): A viral video recorded by a Canadian vlogger, highlighting the "neglected and poor condition" of pavements in the city, has prompted a swift response from the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), which joined a cleaning drive organised by an NGO.
In the 30-minute video shot on Thursday, Youtuber Caleb Friesen documented the difficulty in walking a 2.4 km stretch on Bengaluru's pedestrian paths, from Majestic bus stand to a coffee shop, capturing its alleged poor and neglected condition.
The clip drew widespread public criticism against the civic authorities for the alleged negligence.
In the aftermath of the viral clip, the civic authorities, GBA jumped into swift action to repair the stretch.
Along with private volunteers, they organised a footpath-cleaning drive. To show support and motivate the team, Bengaluru Central City Commissioner Rajendra Cholan joined the volunteers on Saturday and shared snacks with them after the restoration work.
On September 12, the Greater Bengaluru Authority took to 'X', sharing pictures of intensive cleaning drive in and around Majestic surroundings.
"Intensive cleaning drive was carried out around Majestic surroundings by Bengaluru central city corporation team focusing on the footpaths to ensure a clean and safe pedestrian space," it said in a post on 'X'.
Responding to the post, Friesen thanked the authorities for taking rapid action and shared the before and after pictures of the same footpath he had shot earlier.
"Thank you for listening and taking rapid action @GBAoffic no more parkour over barbed wire required by pedestrians," he added.
According to official sources, at the very spot where the foreign national had shot the video, allegedly complaining about the poor state of footpaths, after participating in the cleaning and painting drive organised by an NGO on Saturday, Bengaluru Central City Commissioner, Cholan sat down and had snacks with the volunteers who helped restore the footpath and motivated the team.
The Canadian man who highlighted the state of the footpath was also invited to the spot, where he recorded another clip praising the authorities for the swift action in undertaking the initiative to clean and clear the footpath, making it feasible for pedestrians to use.
walking 2.4 km of Bengaluru footpaths showed me:
— Caleb (@caleb_friesen2) September 11, 2025
- tunnel juice
- barbed wire
- desire paths
- bushwhacking
- pavement pudding
- a stairwell into a drain
- something I can't type here
don't watch this if you have a weak stomach pic.twitter.com/vxijXd021g
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Explosion in Molakera village: Minister Eshwara Khandre inquiries about health of injured
Bidar: District In-charge Minister Eshwara Khandre visited the injured in the mysterious explosion that took place in Molakera village of Humnabad taluk and are currently undergoing treatment at the district hospital. The minister visited the hospital this morning and enquired about the health condition of the injured.
Speaking to reporters after the hospital visit, Khandre described the incident as deeply painful and unfortunate. “Yesterday’s explosion in Molakera village is extremely tragic. Four children sustained burn injuries, while two adults were seriously injured. One of them has been shifted to Solapur and the other to Hyderabad for advanced medical treatment,” he said.
He assured that all the injured are receiving proper medical care and that the district administration is closely monitoring their condition. “Doctors have been instructed to provide the best possible treatment to the injured,” the minister said.
Khandre said that a thorough investigation is underway to determine the cause of the explosion and identify those responsible. “The government has taken this incident very seriously. I met the Chief Minister yesterday and briefed him on the facts of the incident,” he said.
He further announced that the government will bear the entire cost of medical treatment for all the injured. “Strict legal action will be taken against whoever is found responsible after the investigation,” he assured, while appealing to the villagers not to panic
