Third SPR cave-in this year after heavy rain; truck driver escapes unhurt

Commuters travelling from Manesar, Dwarka Expressway, Sohna Road towards Gurugram and Faridabad were the most affected

Gurugram: A truck driver was rescued after a section of the Southern Peripheral Road (SPR) caved in with his vehicle on Wednesday following heavy showers in the city. The driver escaped unhurt, police said.

The driver escaped unhurt, police said. (Sourced)

The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) officials said that the damaged portion was repaired within four hours, but traffic continued to crawl on Thursday as the road remained partially barricaded due to “ongoing precautionary checks.”

With Wednesday’s collapse, SPR has seen three cave-ins this year, one on May 2 and two in June.

The road caved in near an under-construction stormwater drain at 10:30pm, leading to traffic congestion that lasted for over three hours. Commuters travelling from Manesar, Dwarka Expressway, and Sohna Road towards Gurugram and Faridabad were the most affected.

A GMDA official said the road collapsed “as earth settled along the drain is being constructed on the stretch is loose”.

Residents and commuters have urged the administration to expedite the work and ensure structural stability.

Pointing out that this is the this such cave-in on SPR this year, Ajay Rana, a daily commuter from Manesar, said, “This has become a dangerous stretch to drive on. Every time it rains, I fear for my life. There’s no accountability—only temporary fixes.”

“The moment it rains, we know this road will collapse somewhere. It’s no longer just an inconvenience—it’s a safety risk. The authorities need to fix the root cause, not just do patchwork every time,” said Shrikant Srivastava, a resident of Sector 69, who took three hours to reach his society from Kherki Daula.

A GMDA official said, “A team is already at the spot and working to ensure the situation is controlled and traffic movement is not affected. There is a natural slope along SPR, and during heavy rains, water flows with high intensity. The earth around the under-construction drain settled on Wednesday night, causing the road to cave in.”

Two similar incidents were reported in 2023 and one in 2024.