Portion Of Jharkhand's 8-Lane Road Caves In Again At Dhanbad
A portion of Jharkhand's first eight-lane road, built at a cost of Rs 461.9 crore and inaugurated in October last year at Dhanbad, has caved in again, officials said on Tuesday.
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A previous collapse of approximately eight feet occurred in October 2024. (Representational)
Dhanbad:
Officials reported on Tuesday that a section of Jharkhand's first eight-lane highway in Dhanbad has collapsed again. This Rs 461.9 crore infrastructure project was inaugurated just last October.
According to authorities, repair work is anticipated to be finished by Tuesday night.
"The World Bank-funded 20-km eight-lane highway experienced a cave-in near Raja Talab in Dhanbad on Saturday. Previous collapses in other sections were attributed to leakage from underground water pipelines that are part of the Dhanbad water supply project.
"The private contractor responsible for highway maintenance has already begun repairs, which should be completed by Tuesday evening," stated Sanjay Kumar, Deputy General Manager (DGM) of State Highway Authority of Jharkhand (SHAJ).
The SHAJ representative explained that the water pipeline, installed by Jharkhand's Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), runs extensively beneath the eight-lane highway.
"Water pipeline testing creates pressure that causes leaks, which subsequently erodes the soil foundation beneath the road, resulting in surface collapses. The contractor has been instructed to conduct continuous monitoring and implement immediate repairs to address any further collapses along the eight-lane stretch and minimize disruption to city traffic," Kumar explained.
The highway was officially opened by Chief Minister Hemant Soren on October 4, 2024, and falls under Dhanbad Municipal Corporation (DMC) maintenance responsibility.
A previous incident in October 2024 saw approximately eight feet of the road surface collapse.
"We've conducted joint consultations with PHED officials overseeing Dhanbad's water supply to resolve issues with operators leaving valves partially open along the pipeline. This creates pressure that eventually leads to leakage or rupture of underground pipes, which consequently causes the road surface to collapse," Kumar stated.
The water pipeline installation took place in 2019, the same year then-Chief Minister Raghubar Das laid the foundation stone for the Dhankad eight-lane highway.