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Dubai: Dadarao Bilhore lost his teenage son due to a pothole accident in Mumbai in 2015. He decided to turn his pain into purpose and now Twitter users are calling him a hero without a cape.

For the last three years Bilhore has been filling up potholes in the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra, to make sure that nobody else suffers the same fate.

News agency Asian News International (@ANI) tweeted: “Dadarao Bilhore has been filling potholes in Mumbai for past three years after he lost his 16-year-old son to a pothole on a rainwater clogged street on July 28, 2015; says, ‘Our nation has a huge population. If even one lakh of us start filling potholes, India will become pothole-free’.”

In 2015, Bilhore’s son Prakash and his cousin were returning home on a bike. They hit a pothole on the road and Prakash suffered life-threatening injuries and died in the hospital. Bilhore decided to take action and started filling potholes himself. The first pothole that he filled was at Marol Maroshi road in December 2015.

This year’s monsoon season in India brought heavy rains that caused disruptions across the country and even claimed lives.

Twitter user @AnbalaganJob posted: “Around six persons have lost their lives in and around Mumbai due to potholes this monsoon season.

Dadarao Bilhore, a Mumbai resident, who lost his 16-year-old son to a pothole on a road three years ago, filled up 556th pothole in the city on Sunday.”

Tweep @SuperShaji like many others said that a legal complaint needs to be filed in such cases. He posted: “Can’t #DadaraoBilhore file a case against the municipal cooperation of his city for criminal negligence and public defence along with seeking compensation for his son’s death as well as the filled 555 #potholes?”

Some questioned the role of authorities and the government. Many others said that taxpayers and citizens did not deserve this.

@shankerarnimesh tweeted: “India work when our government sleeps. #mumbai #DadaraoBilhore”

An Indian social awareness organisation, Ample Missiion joined Bilhore this year to help fill such potholes.

The chairman of the mission, @AneelMurarka tweeted: “We the Team of @AmpleMissiion joined #DadaraoBilhore ji and enthusiastically filled #potholes... in Andheri, #Mumbai. We pledged no more deaths on roads and will continue our efforts for #PotholeFreeRoads.”

Bilhore intends to set up a small trust in Prakash’s name. He desires to help the deprived in the backward areas.

Twitter user @i_theindian posted: “Not all heroes wear capes! There are many everyday heroes walking amongst us making the lives of those around them a little bit better. The nation salutes you #DadaraoBilhore.”