Gurugram Sohna Highway Develops 12-Ft-Deep Sinkhole After 18-Ft-Deep Cave-in Last Year; Reason?

Gurugram: A 12-foot-deep sinkhole has emerged on a portion of the Sohna Highway in Haryana’s Gurugram. It is anticipated that the damage to the road has occurred due to a defect in an underlying sewer line. Keeping public safety in mind, authorities have decided to restrict traffic on the stretch until the road is repaired. The 22-kilometre-long Sohna elevated road, connecting Subhash Chowk to Badshahpur, was opened for the public in July 2022. This is not the first time a road cave-in has occurred on this stretch. Last year in December, a big hole had developed on the highway, which is close to the spot where the new hole has occurred.

Yogesh Tilak, project director, NHAI (Rewari), briefly mentioned the fresh incident and said, “The affected area has been barricaded, and GMDA has been asked to repair the sewer line immediately. After the repairs, we will finish the patchwork. We have asked GMDA to use CIPP (cured-in-place-pipe) technology this time to ensure a permanent solution,” reported Times of India.

GMDA officials, who inspected the site, said the cause of the damage could only be determined after excavation. “At first glance, it seems like damage to the sewer line. Remedial measures are being taken, and machinery and manpower are being deployed for repairs,” said GMDA chief engineer Rajesh Bansal.

According to a report by Hindustan Times, a school bus, which was not ferrying children at the time, got stuck in the large pothole. The incident concerned the authorities, who later barricaded the part of the road near Subhash Chowk.

The previous sinkhole, which was 18-foot-deep and caused a huge traffic disruption on the highway, was repaired by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in March. It emerged when the wall of a sewer chamber beneath the road collapsed.

An 1,800-metre master sewer line starting from Shankar Chowk crosses the elevated sections of Sohna highway near Sector 47 before ending at Behrampur sewage treatment plant. The brick sewer chamber, which is two decades old, was not properly reinforced during the highway’s construction, leading to recurring problems.

GMDA officials said they would prepare an estimate for repairing the sewer line using CIPP technology to prevent such incidents in the future. After the road collapsed in December, the development authority considered shifting the sewer line, but it has not been done so far.

Commuters Frustrated

Commuters expressed concerns about the substantial amount spent on the highway’s construction and the apparent lack of proper planning and execution. “The recurrence of such incidents raises serious concerns about the quality of construction. The authorities must investigate the cause thoroughly and hold those at fault accountable. Both GMDA and NHAI are blaming each other, but it is the citizens who suffer,” said Siddharth Bhalla, a resident of Sector 48.