Portion of Pakhowal Road caves in

A part of Pakhowal Road at Vikas Nagar Chowk caved in on Monday, raising serious safety concerns for commuters and residents. The collapse is being attributed to the ongoing 24-hour water supply project work.

The cave-in has left a gaping hole in the middle of the busy stretch and tree branches and stones have been placed to warn drivers.

“This is one of the busiest points of the city and such negligence can lead to a major mishap. The situation becomes dangerous especially at night,” said a nearby medicine store owner.

Area resident Arvind Sharma said it was not the first time that road had caved in but many times before also cave-ins have occurred here. “It is one of the main roads in the city and the authorities should be careful. The cave-in should be repaired soon to avert any untoward incident,” he said.

Another resident said such cave-ins are a regular thing on the road. “On Sunday night, I had a narrow escape as I was unable to see the caved-in spot but thankfully, I managed to save myself,” he said.

Resident welfare associations have also raised the issue with the Municipal Corporation, stressing that repeated cave-ins point to poor planning and lack of coordination between civic departments. They warned that if immediate repairs were not undertaken, the situation could worsen during the monsoon, potentially disrupting traffic flow and endangering lives.