- Caleb Friesen's video highlighted unwalkable footpaths in Bengaluru near Majestic area
- Greater Bengaluru Authority conducted an intensive cleaning drive on the footpaths
- Friesen thanked the authorities and shared before and after pictures of the cleaned paths
Days after Canadian national Caleb Friesen documented the unwalkable footpaths in Bengaluru in a viral video, the authorities have sprung into action. The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) informed that the area highlighted by Mr Friesen had been cleaned to ensure a safe passage for the city residents.
"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," The GBA wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Mr Friesen responded to the post and thanked the body for cleaning the space and shared the before and after pictures of the footpath.
"Thank you for listening and taking rapid action @GBAoffic no more parkour over barbed wire required by pedestrians before and after," said Mr Friesen.
As the post went viral, a section of social media users praised the authorities for action, while others questioned whether a foreigner would have to intervene every time.
"So basically we need to fly in more foreigners to point out your inability to do your job before u get it done," said one user while another added: "So good to see this. The entire city needs this. Go for intensive cleaning every month and involve citizens. If the government does it regularly, surely citizens will join hands."
A third commented: "For how long will you be doing it? Or as usual, is it a one-time photo-op??
On Thursday (Sep 11), Mr Friesen posted a video while undertaking a 2.4 km walk from the Majestic bus stand to a nearby Starbucks. In the video, Mr Friesen encountered numerous obstacles, including open drains, barbed wire, and what he described as pavement pudding that stopped the city-dwellers from safely walking from one point to another.
This isn't Caleb Friesen's first video; he's shared several before, each highlighting different issues. This year in May he had ignited an online debate with his "Polite India Challenge" video, urging Indians to adopt basic politeness in their daily interactions.
In his video, Mr Friesen emphasised that being polite isn't a difficult task and can be achieved through simple actions. He proposed a simple challenge, outlining five easy actions to improve daily interactions, which can be completed in just one day.
