Gurgaon: A sinkhole at IFFCO Chowk slammed the brakes on morning commute on Wednesday, sending traffic crawling along MG Road and leaving long queues between Sikanderpur and the busy junction. With the entire affected stretch barricaded, diversions pushed more vehicles on to roads that were already crowded.The over 10ft-wide hole that opened on Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway service road on Tuesday had widened to more than 30ft within hours. The stretch was cordoned off as a safety measure, cutting off movement towards the U-turn flyover and disrupting vehicles coming from MG Road and Sikanderpur towards Delhi and Sukhrali.By around 10.30am, traffic on MG Road was crawling. “Traffic was moving at a snail’s pace around 10.30am. As it was already peak traffic hour, the cave-in caused further impact on the movement of vehicles,” said Shekhar Sharma, who travels between Delhi and Gurgaon almost daily.For officegoers, the closure meant longer journeys and late arrivals at work. Traffic approaching IFFCO Chowk from Sikanderpur was particularly affected as vehicles from MG Road converged with traffic heading towards the expressway and Delhi.The disruption also spilled over to roads around IFFCO Chowk and Sikanderpur metro stations. The corridor is a crucial link between the city’s commercial areas, the expressway and Delhi, making any restriction at the junction particularly disruptive during rush hour.The cave-in came a day after heavy rain had already left several parts of the city struggling with congestion. For commuters, Wednesday brought another obstacle on a road network already under pressure.Traffic police were forced to regulate movement and divert vehicles. “A deep and dangerous sinkhole suddenly appeared on a service road near IFFCO Chowk on Tuesday. It created a serious risk to motorists during peak traffic hours,” police spokesperson Sandeep Turan said.Traffic inspector Mahavir and his team reached the spot after receiving information about the collapse and cordoned off the stretch, installing reflectors and barricades around the sinkhole. Police also alerted GMDA and NHAI, whose technical teams reached the site.Officials said the road would remain restricted until the underground sewer problem was examined and rectified. A preliminary inspection found a 1,000mm-diameter GMDA master sewer line beneath the affected stretch. Leakage from the old line is suspected to have eroded the soil and created the void below the road.GMDA is now diverting sewage to a nearby manhole and using pumps to dewater the site. The sewer carries waste from DLF Phase 2, MG Road and IFFCO Chowk towards the Behrampur treatment plant.“Pumping machinery has been deployed at the site and sewer water is being diverted towards a nearby manhole to reduce the flow and prevent further erosion,” GMDA CEO PC Meena said. The pipeline will be inspected after dewatering to determine the extent of the damage.NHAI said road restoration could begin only after the sewer line was rectified. “Our agency and machinery are ready to carry out the road restoration as soon as possible,” an official said.The cave-in also briefly disrupted water supply in tail-end areas, including DLF Phase 1 and Sushant Lok-1, after GMDA shut supply for nearly five hours as a precaution. An inspection found the water pipeline intact.
