2 weeks Ago
Gurgaon: A road running along the IFFCO Chowk flyover has turned into an accident-prone area after the stretch was dug up to repair a water pipeline and is now riddled with craters a few metres long. While there have been multiple incidents of vehicles getting stuck in waterlogged craters on this road, officials of GMDA and NHAI both say the responsibility to repair this stretch lies with the other. The damage to this road was initially caused by a leak in the water pipeline.
Last month, GMDA officials fixed the leak, but said road maintenance is the job of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). NHAI officials disagree. "If the road is broken due to a faulty pipeline, repairing it also falls under GMDA's purview.
The damage happened because of their pipeline. We have been asking GMDA to repair it, but they are reluctant," an NHAI official said on Sunday. Rebutting this stand, a senior GMDA official said the water pipeline was not installed at a sufficient depth when the flyover was being constructed by NHAI.
"We repaired the pipeline, but it is NHAI's responsibility to carry out road repairs. Since the pipeline was not buried deep enough, it remains vulnerable to recurring damage. This is the second time that we repaired it because of oversight during the construction of the flyover by NHAI's contractor," the official said.
In Jan this year, GMDA warned NHAI about the risks posed by the poorly positioned pipeline beneath the retention wall of the flyover. The authority also prepared a Rs 3.8-crore estimate to shift the 750m pipeline along the service road.
"We asked NHAI to either shift the pipeline themselves or allow GMDA to do it. However, there was no response from their side. If there is a leak in the water pipeline beneath the retention wall, the flyover's stability could be jeopardised," the GMDA official said.
In Aug 2021, a portion of the flyover's wall caved in after sewer lines sunk into the structure. The sewer line was supposed to be shifted before the flyover was to be constructed but it was not done. Similar cave-ins were seen in 2020 and 2019.
The sewer line was shifted in 2022. As GMDA and NHAI continue to pass the buck, commuters said they are bearing the brunt of this blame game. "The road's uneven surface and potholes have made it dangerous.
Everyone who passes this road struggles, but two-wheelers have to manoeuvre their vehicles around the potholes. Just a few days ago, a rider lost his balance on the road. It's even more dangerous after rain or when visibility is low during winter.
Authorities must fix this road immediately," said Rajeev Sinha, president of Essel Towers RWA..
