The first heavy rains of the monsoon have created major potholes in the Delhi-Dehradun Economic Corridor near Shamli. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April inaugurated the 213 km six-lane corridor of the expressway passing through Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The world-class expressway was constructed at a cost of around Rs 12,000 crore and billions of rupees were spent on its promotion. It was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 14 April 2026. But the first rain has caused panic among the pedestrians.
A video that went viral on social media claimed that the expressway connecting Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Dehradun collapsed in the first rain. The roads have such dangerous potholes that there is a risk of major accidents or loss of life at any time. Many social media users tagged Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, questioning the quality of roads and demanding a proper investigation. However, no response was received from Minister Nitin Gadkari in this regard.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) authorities said on social media platform X that they regret the inconvenience to commuters due to the collapse of a section of the Delhi-Dehradun Economic Corridor following rains. The damaged section has already been repaired and opened for regular traffic. The authorities said that this incident happened due to the accumulation of local water. Continuous protests by the local residents resulted in the non-completion of the permanent drainage system at the site and disruption of the culvert connection. Instead, locals use the mouth of the culvert to allow vehicular traffic, preventing the proposed drainage system from starting.
After the incident, NHAI quickly started repairs. Construction of a temporary parallel drain is also underway for safe drainage of rainwater till the permanent drainage system is completed. The affected area is being continuously monitored to keep vehicles safe and running smoothly. The NHAI authorities have taken the incident very seriously and have issued notices to the project manager, authority engineer and EPC contractors to explain the reason. The team leader of the authority’s engineering team and the project manager of the contractor have been suspended.