• Source:JND
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Bhopal Road Collapse: Days after a 100-metre stretch on the Bhopal-Indore bypass collapsed abruptly on Monday, leaving a 30-foot deep crater on the roadside, the Madhya Pradesh government has formed a three-member committee to conduct a detailed investigation into the matter. The committee has reportedly been asked to submit its report within a week.

Sukhveer Singh, principal secretary of the state Public Works Department, said that the MPRDC has formed an inquiry team, headed by its chief engineer BS Meena, general managers Manoj Gupta and RS Chandel, and based on the report, the authorities will take necessary action. "If any negligence or irregularity is found in the investigation report, strict action will be taken against those responsible," he said as quoted by PTI.

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The incident occurred near the Bilkhiria area on the bypass road connecting Indore and Narmadapuram districts. No injuries or casualties were reported, as there were no vehicles at the site when the road caved in. 

According to the police, cracks first appeared on the road around 11:30 am on Monday, after which the officials stopped the vehicular movement on the stretch. Officials from the MPRDC and the local administration rushed to the spot, and repair work was initiated shortly.

MP Govt’s Preliminary Report Blames Farmers

According to a report by NDTV, a preliminary report filed by the Madhya Pradesh government blamed the farmers for the mishap and stated that soil digging near the wall blocked the drainage, causing waterlogging inside the embankment, which resulted in the collapse of the road. 

The report further stated that the reinforced embankment (RE) wall was not as per the standards, and the soil quality used to build the embankment was also not of standard quality. Moreover, the stone pitching, built to prevent erosion and water seepage, was also found to be missing.

The MP government’s report further stated that the ploughing of the land nearby by the farmers, which obstructed the drainage flow, weakened the embankments near the roads, ultimately leading to the collapse.

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Engineer Highlights More Flaws In Construction:

According to a report by Dainik Bhaskar, structural engineer Suyash Kulshrestha flagged several flaws in the construction of the road. 

“The road’s foundations should have been strengthened with gravel/boulders at an interval of every three feet. Instead of that, murram (kopra) was used, and that too without proper compaction which caused the soil to lose its grip and strength, making the road unstable,” he said, as quoted by Dainik Bhaskar. 

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“The asphalt layer used in building the road was only 15-20 cm thick, which is way below the standard 20-25 cm. The retaining wall built by the MPRDC was not as per the prescribed standards. For a height of 50 feet, a 600-foot horizontal slope should have been built, which was missing. The wall was also not built with standard and durable materials,” Kulshrestha added.

He further said that the road was built 50 feet above the nearby fields and ponds, and yet no proper drainage system was present. “Without the proper outlets, water collected under the surface weakened the soil over time, causing the road to sink,” he said.

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