16‑year‑old Parth Anand of Delhi has launched Project Sadak, an AI‑powered system that has logged 1,900 pothole reports and verified 30 repairs across Delhi, Bengaluru and other Indian cities.
The platform was born after Anand’s parents were injured when their motorcycle hit a pothole in 2023. He discovered that complaints filed with municipal systems often disappeared into a bureaucratic void, leaving potholes unaddressed. India recorded 5,432 road crashes from potholes in 2024, killing 2,385 people.
Project Sadak starts with a photo. AI analyses the image to confirm a pothole, gauge severity, and check for duplicate reports. It then identifies the responsible authority—whether MCD, PWD or another agency—and files a complaint directly, while adding the case to a public map that tracks resolution time.
Anand said the system has already prompted action. In Delhi, he took a batch of reports to the ward councillor’s office and saw the holes sealed within days. In Bengaluru, a complaint filed by Sadak triggered a repair in two days. One of the repaired spots was on the road that his mother’s family uses daily for school.
The initiative is now in talks with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi for a formal partnership, and Anand has presented a 90‑day pilot proposal to the Fiji Roads Authority. He is also in early discussions with Liberia’s National Road Fund and a data‑sharing arrangement with Cars24 co‑founder Gajendra Jangid.
If the pilots prove successful, Anand envisions Project Sadak expanding nationwide, creating a unified digital network that holds road‑maintenance agencies accountable and protects thousands of commuters from preventable injuries.