Portion of IFFCO Chowk flyover collapses

Gurugram: The retention wall Gurugram's newly built and the city's busiest flyover at IFFCO Chowk collapsed on Monday morning after a spell of heavy rains over the weekend, resulting in authorities instantly closing a portion of it for traffic.

According to officials, the master sewerage pipeline that is situated underneath the retention wall developed cracks and broke down thus resulting in poor drainage situation around the area. Rainfall during the weekend resulted in the softening of mud and weakening of the foundation which ultimately resulted in the breaking of the retention wall of IFFCO chowk. This formed a 15-metre hole in the entire area.

As per officials, the master pipeline will first be replaced following which the retention walls would be repaired. Meanwhile, commuters who were coming from Delhi to Gurugram had to face a lot of problems due to diversions owing to the portion of flyover being closed.

"I was coming from Delhi and wanted to go to South City. However, I had to face a huge difficulty in the morning due to diversion of traffic. It is high time that such lapses need to be controlled as lives of lakhs of commuters who pass through these roads are at risk," said Rajveer, an irate commuter.

Being left red faced several times owing to construction defects in several new and upcoming flyovers, officials of Gurugram public agencies and National Highway Authority of India were again left embarrassed on the recurring problem.

The IFFCO Chowk flyover started functioning only in 2019 after being built in a record time of 18 months much ahead of the 30-month target.

However, just like several other flyovers, construction defects in IFFCO Chowk have ensured that praises and appreciation for government agencies have turned into harsh criticisms. Many residents are now asking questions and seeking accountability from government officials of why such incidents are happening on a regular basis.