The Times of India  17.08.2010

NEW DELHI: A portion of Jaswant Singh Road in Lutyens' Delhi caved in due to rains, affecting vehicular movement towards India Gate on Monday morning. According to NDMC, there was an "abandoned sewage pipe'' underneath the road which led to seepage and eventually caused the road to cave in.

A 15-feet deep hole developed on the stretch, which is near Andhra Bhawan. The cave-in affected traffic movement on Ashoka Road towards India Gate, police said. Commuters said they had a harrowing time reaching India Gate owing to long queue of vehicles.

According to NDMC, its staff immediately levelled the road with soil. About seven workers came in trucks containing the soil and the work went on for about one and a half hour. Said an NDMC official, " An old water pipe that was no longer in use was found under the road. The cave-in was caused by the bursting of the pipe. We have repaired the sewage pipe. The road will remain barricaded for a while so that the repaired patch dries. While loose soil has been spread on top, it is yet to be covered with tar. Cars are still not allowed to run over the patch.''

Due to the road cave-in, one lane of road space was not available for traffic. Ashoka Road forms a major east-west thoroughfare. Though the traffic police didn't need to cause any diversion the rest of the road was open for vehicular movement commuters faced some problems during the rush hours. "We are expecting the road to be reopened for traffic by Tuesday when movement of traffic will be restored,'' said Rupinder Kumar, deputy commissioner of police (traffic), New Delhi.

This is the second time this month that a road has caved in at Lutyen's Delhi. On August 8, a road near Khan Market developed a pothole after rain loosened the earth there. When NDMC officials went to the spot to fill it, a bigger crack developed on the surface of the road.