A 30 to 35-foot stretch of the Leg-I stormwater drain along Major Sushil Aima Road in Sector 22 collapsed after heavy rain on Tuesday evening, pulling a vendor’s cart into the drain and forcing several vendors to run to safety. No injuries were reported.
GMDA officials said on Wednesday that the damaged stretch has been barricaded and temporary repairs are underway to ensure the collapse does not affect traffic on the busy Major Sushil Aima Road. The temporary restoration work is expected to begin on Thursday and be completed within two to three days, officials said.
Residents said the brick walls of the drain began collapsing on both sides around 5pm after it was flooded with storm water. “The brick walls on both sides collapsed, and the slab also caved in. A number of fruit vendors and others stood and sold their wares on the cement slab throughout the stretch, and they scampered for safety, but a cart belonging to one of them was sucked in,” said Rakesh Malik, president, Sector 22 Market Welfare Association.
Locals said the drain from Old Delhi Road to Tau Devi Lal Park is in a dilapidated condition and requires urgent repairs. “The drain is in bad shape, and it also gets choked. Operating vends and push carts on the drain is dangerous and could lead to serious accidents in case of a collapse,” said resident Pawan Kumar.
GMDA executive engineer Vikram Singh said the authority has asked the MCG to remove vendors from the site and has advised them to shift to safer locations. He said the damaged portion of the brick-lined drain, originally built by HSVP, will be reconstructed, while the remaining stretch will be strengthened with lining. Singh added that GMDA also plans to construct a parallel drain beneath Major Sushil Aima Road to increase capacity, support the upcoming metro corridor and address waterlogging. The Leg-I drain runs from Nathupur village to the Najafgarh drain via Udyog Vihar, Sectors 22 and 23, Palam Vihar and Bajghera.
