Gurugram’s 4th road caves in as many days, this time at Shankar Chowk

The Shankar Chowk underpass is likely to remain out of operation for a week after a massive cave-in occurred just outside its exit on Tuesday morning.

The Shankar Chowk underpass, which allows signal-free movement of traffic from Ambience Mall towards Iffco Chowk on Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, is likely to remain out of operation for a week after a massive cave-in occurred just outside its exit on Tuesday morning. The road reportedly sunk around 10am, creating a crater 5 square feet in area and 10-feet-deep.

According to officials, the cave-in happened because of a leakage in the sewage pipeline passing below the road following which the traffic police and DLF, the custodian of the road, closed the facility. (HT Photo)

According to officials, the cave-in happened because of a leakage in the sewage pipeline passing below the road following which the traffic police and DLF, the custodian of the road, closed the facility.

Incidentally, it is the third time that a road has caved-in in the last four days following a spell of rain raising concerns about the structural integrity of roads across the city. On Friday, the Iffco Chowk underpass was closed after the roads on either side caved in and the facility itself was inundated with rainwater. On Saturday, a section of the Basai Road also caved in because of leakage in the sewage pipeline.

Deputy commissioner and MCG chief Amit Khatri said relevant agencies will be pulled up for an explanation.

Traffic police officials said after the cave-in was reported, the entrance of the 464-metre, three-lane, unidirectional underpass was barricaded with bollards and vehicles were diverted via Cyber City.

“We received information about the cave-in around 10am and immediately barricaded the exit. We also cautioned commuters via our social media handles. Our personnel and marshalls from DLF were present at the spot for diverting traffic. It is unlikely that the underpass will be opened soon. Commuters have been advised to drive via Cyber City to reach their destinations,” said traffic inspector Rajesh Kumar, Gurugram police.

The diversion via Sikanderpur will mean commuters have to drive an extra 1.9 kilometre to reach Iffco Chowk. The increased volume of vehicles will also likely slow down traffic and result in snarls.

Talking about the reasons that may have led to the cave-in, an official spokesperson of the DLF said, “The GMDA sewage line broke leading to a leakage that eroded the road layers, resulting in the cave-in. We are working with the authorities to repair the damaged portion.”

DLF workers could be seen at the cave-in spot, excavating soil and creating a pathway for workers from the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) to enter and find the source of the leakage.

A senior DLF official privy to the matter said that until the source of the leakage is identified, the cave-in cannot be filled and underpass opened for traffic.

“The pipeline is GMDA’s sewage master pipeline, which was diverted at the time of construction of the underpass. The point where the pipeline was diverted and subsequently connected is where the leakage has occurred. It will take us around one week to repair the leakage,” GMDA chief engineer Lalit Arora said.

Meanwhile, residents and experts have raised concern over the quality of road construction materials used. Haryana Vision Zero programme coordinator Sarika Panda Bhatt said a monitoring mechanism is in place for all projects to verify the quality of raw materials used. She added that in case of Gurugram’s main roads, the materials used appear to be substandard, resulting in the series of roads collapses.

“Road construction materials seem to be of compromised quality. The cave-ins serve as a testament to this. After construction of any infrastructure, testing is carried out to check if the structure has been built in accordance with the outlines mentioned in the detailed project report. A road is only opened to traffic after all these criteria are checked. I am not sure if an audit has even been carried out for these stretches,” Bhatt said talking about the underpass that was opened to the public on April 7, 2017.

FLOODING AND CAVE-IN AT IFFCO CHOWK

Talking about the cave-ins on road surface at Iffco Chowk underpass— about four-feet-deep and affecting an area of 100 metres on both sides of the carriageway— NHAI consultant Saurabh Singhal said the long-term plan to ensure the structure’s stability is to link the drains in the underpass to the HSVP master drain, which flows from behind Metropolis Mall.

“This project is awaiting approval from the GMDA. Getting approval from the GMDA may take over a month. In the interim, the NHAI has upgraded the existing drainage infrastructure to ensure rainwater does not accumulate inside Iffco Chowk underpass,” he said, adding that the entire pipeline was excavated and concrete culverts were introduced to channel the surface runoff towards MG Road.

Singhal added that the road surface, excavated for introducing the culvert, will be re-filled after the skies clear up as bituminous work can only be done when the weather conditions are dry.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) reopened the Iffco Chowk underpass on Saturday, 26 hours after road surfaces on either sides of the underpass collapsed. The cave-in also damaged the extension joints of the concrete wall, which led to spillage of rainwater inside the structure, NHAI officials had said.