Constable notices cavity at Peddar Road, saves the day

The on-duty constable noticed a small depression on the patch outside Prabhu Kunj, and immediately put up barricades; when BMC arrived to check on it, the street caved in to form a 15-foot deep hole

A major mishap was averted at Peddar Road yesterday, after an alert constable noticed a small cavity on the road and immediately barricaded it. The small cavity collapsed into a big 15-foot hole some time later. Had any vehicles passed over it, it could’ve resulted in a serious accident.

Constable P.L.Dubey

The cave-in occurred at around 10 am outside Prabhu Kunj, where the on-duty constable was P L Dubey. Speaking to mid-day, he said, “I noticed an unusual cavity on the road and barricaded the area immediately. Traffic was also taken care of, as there were no major diversions.”

After barricades were put up, a traffic jam was seen on the arterial road. Pic/Bipin Kokate

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) was informed about the depression. When officials arrived on the spot, the cavity was small. However, when they tapped it to check its strength, the entire patch caved in, forming a big hole 15 feet deep.

Umakant Suryavanshi, the on-site engineer from BMC’s storm water drain department, explained, “The ‘dhapa’ drainage lines that run underneath are more than 80 years old. Due to wear and tear and leakage, the drains had weakened, and this in turn, led to the weakening of the structure. That’s why the road caved in.”

Fixing it
The complete patch of the road was excavated and modern reinforced concrete pipes will replace the old sewerage pipes. Concrete will be laid on the roads again, and work is expected to be completed by today morning.

Suryavanshi also added that officials are identifying stretches on Peddar Road prone to such cave-ins by detecting weak areas, as this is not the first time such an incident has occurred. The SWD department may seek permission from the Traffic department to carry out repair work.

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