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Repeated cave-ins spur ₹14.5-crore sewer repair project in Vikas Nagar
The work is now underway using a trenchless, modern rehabilitation technique, months after residents raised alarm over multiple sinkholes and road cave-ins occurred previously, officials said.
Following repeated road cave-in incidents which endangered lives and disrupted traffic in densely populated Vikas Nagar in the state capital, Jal Nigam has finally launched a ₹14.5-crore project to repair and strengthen the sewer line running through the area.
The work is now underway using a trenchless, modern rehabilitation technique, months after residents raised alarm over multiple sinkholes and road cave-ins occurred previously, officials said.
The project will cover a 1,775-metre stretch from Gulachin Mandir to Indian Bank on Picnic Spot Road and is expected to be completed by April 11, 2026. A private company based in Mumbai has been contracted for the work, they added.
According to Jal Nigam executive engineer Divyanshu Kumar Singh, the project involves the use of glass reinforced plastic (GRP) pipe lining, a trenchless technology that avoids full road excavation.
“This technique allows us to strengthen the damaged sewer lines from within. GRP pipes are chemically inert, which means they won’t corrode due to harmful sewer gases,” he explained. Singh confirmed that the lines being rehabilitated are 1,600 mm in diameter, and once completed, the upgraded system is expected to last at least 20 years.
The department received ₹14.5-crore funding for the work after several months of delays. “Excavation for pit preparation has begun. This work is critical because the cave-ins were caused by old, leaking lines. Gas pressure built up due to lack of ventilation, and the shifting soil beneath the roads made them collapse,” he said.
Residents of Vikas Nagar, Jankipuram, Shankarpurwa, and surrounding areas have endured years of risk and inconvenience due to recurring road collapses. Sinkholes opened up all of a sudden, terrifying locals and endangering commuters.
“It was terrifying. I remember when a huge part of the road sank in front of Punjab National Bank (PNB) last December. Cars had passed over that area just minutes earlier,” said Ramesh Tiwari, a local shopkeeper.
Previously on December 15, 2024, a cave-in left a 20-foot-wide and 27-foot-long sinkhole in front of PNB in Vikas Nagar. Jal Nigam later confirmed that two major sewer pipelines, each 1,600 mm in diameter and located nearly 30 feet below the surface, had collapsed. The incident caused underground soil erosion and destabilised the road above.
Repairs took months as workers had to carefully relocate underground high-tension power cables, gas lines, water pipes, and optical fibre cables before taking up the actual repair.
Just weeks after the December incident, another road cave-in hit the Tedhi Pulia area in the early hours of January 14, 2025.
A massive crater about 16 feet long and 20 feet wide formed without warning. That incident was also attributed to a collapsed sewer line, as confirmed by Amarjeet, incharge of Zone 3.
“We feared the crater might expand further. The condition of these old underground networks is worse than most people realise,” Amarjeet had told HT.
However, residents are cautiously optimistic. “We hope this time the solution is permanent. We’ve lived in fear of the road giving way every monsoon,” said Preeti Verma, a Vikas Nagar resident.
