Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) has come under a scathing attack after a major pipeline that burst in the city’s VVIP zone remained unrepaired for more than 36 hours.
The incident, which occurred on Tuesday near Lok Bhavan, led to massive water wastage and disrupted supply in several parts of central Bhopal.
On Wednesday, the situation worsened when a high-pressure explosion occurred in a 5-MGD main pipeline in front of Lok Bhavan. The force of the gushing water created flood-like conditions on the road, with lakh of litres of treated water flowing onto the streets and damaging the asphalt.
Road caves in after soil erosion
The continuous leakage led to soil erosion beneath the road surface, eventually creating a hollow cavity. A portion of the road later caved in, posing a serious risk to commuters. Authorities said a major accident was narrowly avoided, as no vehicles were passing over the affected stretch at the time of the collapse.
Delays raise questions on efficiency
Despite the severity of situation, repair work continued well into Wednesday evening, raising concerns about the civic body’s response time.
Residents and commuters expressed frustration over the delay in fixing what appeared to be a critical infrastructure failure. When contacted, assistant engineer Ajay Singh Solanki cited pipe settlement issues as the reason for the prolonged repair.
Solanki stated that the complexity of the pipeline alignment slowed down the replacement process. He said restoration would be completed by late night.
