‘Had it happened at night, 100–200 bodies would be found’:Eyewitness recounts scale of Bhopal bypass road cave-in; pit large enough to swallow several cars

A portion of the Reinforced Earth (RE) Wall road connected to the Railway Overbridge (ROB) on the Bhopal Bypass suddenly collapsed on Monday. A pit 20 feet deep and nearly 100 metres long formed on the road, large enough to hold a large number of vehicles. Luckily, the incident happened during the day, preventing a major tragedy, as around 25 to 30 vehicles pass through the bypass every minute. The government has now ordered an investigation and promised strict action against those responsible. Road caves in, traffic stopped just in time Eyewitnesses said the road began to sink suddenly. Within an hour, a 100-metre-long and 20-foot-deep pit had formed. Bhagwat Yadav, a local resident, noticed a crack and immediately alerted the police. He said it felt as though something was wrong, so he stopped the vehicles in time. Because it was daytime, traffic could be halted quickly. If the collapse had occurred at night, many lives could have been lost as vehicles travel at speeds of 60 to 80 kmph near the bridge. See the incident unfold in 3 pictures – Traffic was immediately stopped, and the police reached the spot to control the situation. Locals express fear Another eyewitness, Gopal Das from Kalyanpur, said vehicles had passed the spot just minutes before the road gave way. People nearby helped warn and stop others. Residents expressed concern over the poor quality of the road and demanded accountability. Congress attacks government The Congress party blamed the government for negligence and demanded the resignation of PWD Minister Rakesh Singh.Congress leader Manoj Shukla alleged that beneath the asphalt layer, only red soil could be seen. He added that Bhopal had already faced embarrassment over the ‘90-degree design bridge’ and a similar road collapse in MP Nagar a few months ago. Former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had earlier claimed that Madhya Pradesh’s roads were “better than those in America”. In a sharp jibe, Congress leaders said they would collect a few bags of red soil from the site and ask him what kind of “asphalt” it was. Road built in 2013, contract cancelled in 2020 The collapsed road is under the Madhya Pradesh Road Development Corporation (MPRDC). It was built in 2013 by M/s Transtronstroy Pvt. Ltd. under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model. However, the contract was cancelled in 2020 due to the company’s failure to meet terms. Since then, the road had been left without proper maintenance. Rain had worsened its condition, creating potholes and damaging the bridge approach. About the Bhopal Bypass The Bhopal Bypass is about 40 kilometres long. It connects Fanda on the Bhopal–Indore State Highway with Misrod, passing through Mubarakpur and Vidisha Road Chauraha. It links several major routes leading to Indore, Jabalpur, Sagar, Vidisha, Mandla, Chhatarpur, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. Long-distance luxury buses and heavy vehicles use this route, especially at night. Experts say about 25 to 30 vehicles pass every minute, making the collapse a serious safety concern. Congress protest at the site Following the collapse, Congress workers reached the spot and staged a protest on the sunken road, demanding action and accountability from the government. Inquiry ordered by MPRDC The MPRDC has set up a technical investigation team comprising Chief Engineer B.S. Meena, GM Manoj Gupta and GM R.S. Chandel. They will examine the technical reasons for the collapse of the RE Wall and submit a report to the government.Managing Director Bharat Yadav said strict action would be taken if negligence or irregularities were found. Second road collapse in 4 months This is the second such incident in Bhopal in four months. Earlier, a road in MP Nagar — one of the busiest areas of the city — had caved in, forming a pit about 8 feet deep and 10 feet wide. A car could easily fit into it. Fortunately, no one was passing at that time, and another tragedy was narrowly avoided.