With the onset of monsoon in Jaipur, glaring lapses in civic infrastructure are beginning to surface. Even mild rainfall is leading to water-logging and road damage.
In a major incident on Friday, a large section of the road near TN Mishra Marg and the Ganga-Jamuna Petrol Pump on Gopalpura Bypass caved in, significantly affecting traffic movement in the area. The collapsed section measures approximately 60 feet in length, 25 feet in width, and 15 feet in depth, creating a massive pothole and raising serious safety concerns.
The incident triggered a dispute between officials of the Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) and the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), with both departments blaming each other for the collapse.
JDA’s Superintending Engineer, Deepak Mathur, attributed the incident to a burst water pipeline, stating, “The road caved in due to damage in the water line. Once PHED repairs the line, we will begin road restoration.”
On the other hand, PHED officials argued that the road construction itself was faulty.
According to an official, “rainwater seeped through the poorly constructed road, eroding the ground beneath and leading to the collapse. The water line got damaged as a result of the road sinking, not the other way around”.
This incident highlights serious flaws in coordination between city departments and raises questions about the quality of urban infrastructure and preparedness for the monsoon season. Commuters and residents have expressed frustration over frequent road damages and the lack of preventive maintenance.
Authorities have cordoned off the area, and repair work is expected to begin once the inter-departmental responsibilities are resolved. Actually heavy rains have lashed the city since Friday afternoon.
Around 23.6mm rainfall has been registered in the city till 5.30 in evening thereby bringing a drastic decrease in temperature. The city recorded a dip of 10 degrees Celsius, bringing in minimum temperature of 25 degrees Celsius while maximum temperature in city came down to 28.3 degrees Celsius.
