The link road linking the Ganga Expressway to the Sonic Square in Unnao was damaged in the first spell of heavy rains this season, raising fresh questions about the quality of construction just two months after the disaster. $The expressway was inaugurated at a cost of 12,000 crores.
The seven-metre-long road on the Meerut-Prayagraj road near km 421 was washed away after rain on Friday, with soil eroding along the embankment and a portion of the road collapsing. By Saturday, more soil had been shoveled from the side of the road, a traffic light had fallen, and parts of the roadside drain were found damaged.
The damaged span was repaired emergencyly on Friday and Saturday. However, new erosion at the same location has raised concerns about the stability of the dam.
Local residents claimed that slope protection measures, including grass cover aimed at preventing soil erosion, were either inadequate or missing.
Such problems may arise after the first rainfall, said Patel Infrastructure Project Manager Satish Singh. “The corroded part will be repaired. We have no information about the fallen sign, but that will also be corrected,” he added.
The accident is the latest in a series of defects reported on the Ganga Expressway.
Even before Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the project on April 29, subsidence, soil erosion and damage to service lanes were reported at several locations near Sonic, following which repairs were carried out.
