Infra crumbles under rain: 2 cave-ins on Basai Rd in 2 days

Time of India

a day ago

Gurgaon: Another patch of Basai Road collapsed on Saturday near Feroz Gandhi Colony's entrance, making it the second cave-in on the same stretch in two days — an occurrence that residents say highlights the state of civic infrastructure in the city.
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The latest collapse occurred barely 100 metres from a similar cave-in reported on Friday near Manohar Nagar post office, both caused by an ageing underground drain that is part of the city's main sewerage network. MCG officials on Sunday said the old sewer line had sunk into the ground over time, causing the soil above it to give way. Repair work, already underway after Friday's incident, was disrupted by Saturday's rainfall.
"We began plugging the leak and initiated repairs, but Saturday's rain forced us to unplug it temporarily, as it is the main trunk line. Repair work will resume shortly, and the damaged portion will be rectified within a couple of days as the 900mm line lies nearly 20 feet below the surface, making its repair intricate," an MCG official said.
The sewer line serves densely populated colonies across Old Gurgaon, including Shivaji Nagar, Om Vihar, Feroz Gandhi Colony and Surya Vihar.
Residents have reported frequent cave-ins over the past three years, particularly during monsoon, as authorities fail to provide lasting solutions.
"Every year we see some patch or another sink on this road, and each time they repair it only to be damaged again. The road is already narrow, and every time this kind of issue happens, only one carriageway is functional, and people get stuck for hours for a five-minute journey.
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The municipal corporation needs to find a permanent solution," said Suraj Bhola, who regularly uses this stretch.
The sewer network was originally laid in 2009 by the Public Works Department and Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) before being transferred to MCG in 2018.
Last August, MCG prepared a Rs 3.5-crore estimate to strengthen the area's sewer network through cured-in-place-pipe (CIPP) lining, but the project remains unimplemented.
Sources within MCG indicated the corporation is considering transferring the master sewerage network above 600mm diameter pipelines to GMDA.
GMDA maintains Basai Road, but the corporation has the responsibility to ensure the sewer line under the stretch operates without disruptions. In June this year, a portion of Sohna Road caved in, the fifth such incident over the last two years due to a damaged sewer line. Subsequently, NHAI decided to repair GMDA's sewer line on its own.
Last month, a major portion near the Sector 12 intersection caved in after an underground sewer manhole wall collapsed, creating a gaping cavity that disrupted traffic flow in the area. The same month, a portion of road near Sector 75A caved in, swallowing a truck.