Gaping hole on Basai flyover, Railways to check for structural defects

It will take at least two weeks for traffic to become normal on the Basai-Dhankote flyover in Gurgaon which had developed cracks and a large gaping hole on Monday evening.

It will take at least two weeks for traffic to become normal on the Basai-Dhankote flyover in Gurgaon which had developed cracks and a large gaping hole on Monday evening.

The Railways officials, who inspected the site, admitted that the wearing coat of the structure was badly damaged, and there could be other defects, including poor drainage, which needed further investigation(Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

The Railways officials, who inspected the site, admitted that the wearing coat of the structure was badly damaged, and there could be other defects, including poor drainage, which needed further investigation.

Around 7 pm on Monday evening, a part of the concrete chipped off from a slab in the middle of the flyover exposing the iron rods. This led to panic among commuters and also caused a heavy jam till the late hours.

Currently, only one lane of the 600-metre long rail overbridge is functional and vehicles are allowed to move only on one side. Of the entire flyover, 400 metres was constructed by the public works department, Haryana, while the central core passing over the railway line, measuring 200 metres, was built by the railways, and it is this portion that has been damaged.

The Basai Dhankote flyover passes near the Basai water treatment plant. It witnesses heavy traffic from Gurgaon, Farrukhnagar and Jhajjar.

Railway engineers who visited the site today said that repair work will start from Wednesday, and they will also inspect the entire flyover for structural defects. Traffic is likely to remain affected for the next two weeks as the repair work will take at least two weeks, they said.

Meanwhile, to prevent any mishap, the police have barricaded the damaged portion, and deployed men to manage heavy traffic. “We have barricaded the damaged portion, and are here since morning to prevent any mishap,” said a traffic police official.

Spokesperson for Northern Railway Neeraj Sharma said, “Carriageway slab of the two lane rail over bridge near Basai Dhankot station towards Rewari end got punctured yesterday night. The damaged portion has been closed to traffic. As per field officers’ observation, wearing coat on it was found badly damaged along with poor drainage. This may be the reason for this mishappening along with other construction defects which need to be ascertained. This repair work will take 10 to 15 days.”

However, the damage to the flyover, which was constructed only five years ago, has led to questions about the quality and design of the construction.

Hemant Kumar, a Gurgaon resident, commented on Twitter, “Design and execution both are under cloud. There is need for serious inquiry. Detailed analysis is required as structural strengthening may be required.”