Steel structure falls in Gurugram’s Sector 38 underpass, damages car

The incident took place at approximately 9.27am when the skeletal frame fell from the roof of the underpass, said a motorist whose vehicle was damaged.

A steel fabrication structure fell on a car passing through an underpass near a prominent hospital in Sector 38 on Friday, commuters and officials said. The incident took place at approximately 9.27am when the skeletal frame fell from the roof of the underpass with empty spaces, said a motorist whose vehicle was damaged.

A senior official at NHAI said that no repair work was currently ordered on the underpass.

Indrajith Nair, who works at a logistics company, said that a loud bang was heard while moving out of the Tau Devi Lal Stadium-Medicity underpass in Sector 38, towards the Delhi-Gurugram-Jaipur expressway (NH 48) on Friday morning.

“While I was trying to gauge what had happened, a motorist passing by flashed the dipper from his car. Someone pointed out how my car sustained a deep dent on its left door,” Nair said, adding how the steel piece striking a “high-speed car could have turned fatal.”

“Had it fallen on the windshield or on a two-wheeler, the consequences would have been damaging beyond repair,” Nair said.

Notably, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) had enforced a speed limit of 30km/hour in November 2023 to prevent accidents due to overspeeding on the 500-metre-long stretch. “However, motorists rarely follow the traffic norms – further risking the lives of others. Incidents like this make us question governments’ non-commitment in ensuring road safety,” added Nair.

Nair said a formal complaint was submitted to relevant officials at NHAI to take further action by ordering repair work of the roof of the critical underpass connecting major city centres.

A senior official at NHAI said that no repair work was currently ordered on the underpass. “We will soon inspect the area to see if any repair work is needed,” said the official.