Mesh panel falls, safety concerns again at Sadar-Mankapur flyover
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Nagpur: A steel mesh panel installed along the parapet wall of the Y-shaped Sadar-Katol-Mankapur flyover near Chhaoni Chowk collapsed on Saturday evening, raising fresh concerns over the structural safety and traffic management on this accident-prone stretch.
No injuries were reported in the incident.
The protective mesh was installed to prevent two-wheeler riders from falling off the flyover. Before it crashed onto the road, it was precariously dangling in the strong wind. Motorists passing beneath the structure at Chhaoni Chowk near Achraj Towers were alarmed, especially as the location has seen multiple serious accidents in recent years.
One of the accidents took place on the same flyover in August 2020, when 36-year-old nurse Manjusha Dalal died after a speeding SUV hit her scooter.
Dalal, who worked at a private hospital in Dhantoli, fell nearly 25 feet from the elevated stretch near Nelson Square and succumbed to her injuries. Despite several eyewitnesses and a police chase, the SUV driver fled the scene.
Constructed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the flyover has long been flagged for inadequate safety measures, particularly at its sharp curve at Chhaoni Chowk. Though the speed limit is capped at 50kmph, officials admit that most vehicles often exceed this threshold, especially at the turning that connects to Mankapur and Old Katol Naka.
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Traffic cops said, "The stretch continues to witness speeding and blatant lane indiscipline by motorists. After the 2020 accident, there were recommendations to install fibre-based lane dividers and strengthen barriers, but implementation has remained erratic."
Saturday's incident, captured in photos showing a damaged panel and overgrowth sprouting from the flyover structure, underscores a larger issue — lack of regular maintenance and inept inspection of critical public infrastructure.
The presence of vegetation from crevices also hints at water stagnation and long-term structural neglect.
Traffic police said they will write to NHAI again, urging reinforcement of safety installations and stricter speed regulation. A senior NHAI official said after seeing the photos it seems that some vehicle must have hit it, leading to its damage. "However, I will soon send officials to the spot and find out what happened and get it repaired urgently," said the official.
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