The Gurugram Sohna elevated flyover road caved in once again on Wednesday, this time near Subhash Chowk, according to local residents.
Authorities have barricaded the affected stretch to ensure pedestrian safety and prevent vehicles from plunging into the deep crater.
Repeated occuring
This is not the first such incident on the four-lane road. In December 2023, a pothole measuring around five feet deep and two feet wide had formed in front of SD Adarsh Vidyalaya.
Eight months later, another pit, around two feet wide and eight metres deep, appeared at the same location.
Earlier, in August 2020, a portion of the road had collapsed during the construction of the flyover, forcing authorities to temporarily halt the work.
Locals said a sewer pipeline running beneath the road frequently collapses, causing the surface above to sink repeatedly.
Some residents alleged that after the BJP came to power in Haryana in 2014, the then Public Works Department minister Rao Narbir Singh pushed for the rapid construction of the Gurugram Sohna road without proper inspections being carried out.
What's causing frequent cave ins
Repeated cave ins along the stretch have been linked to a damaged 1,800 mm master sewer line running beneath the highway. Although the sewer network was officially handed over to the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) in 2022, the main pipeline has still not undergone complete rehabilitation.
The rehabilitation work using cured in place pipe (CIPP) technology was first proposed in 2017 by HUDA, now known as Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran, at an estimated cost of Rs 28.75 crore. The proposal also included laying a 900 mm pipeline from Subhash Chowk towards Sector 48 and strengthening the manholes. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) was expected to carry out the project under HUDA's supervision.
However, during the road widening process and the administrative transition from HUDA to GMDA, the project scope was reduced to only strengthening the manholes, which NHAI says has already been completed. The rehabilitation of the main sewer pipeline, meanwhile, remained pending and unaddressed.
