Baghpat: Days after two alloy-wrecking potholes on the newly inaugurated Rs 12,000-crore Delhi-Dehradun Expressway left authorities red-faced, a fresh damage to an embankment of the busy highway near Gangnauli village in UP’s Baghpat has sparked another major row.A cavity developed near Gangnauli underpass — 68-km from Delhi — after rainwater flow eroded the road shoulder, with purported videos of the damage widely shared on social media.Fresh road damage was not the only problem. Local residents said boulders fell on the Mohand hill area of the stretch after overnight rain, forcing traffic diversions and raising safety concerns.Denying structural failure to the expressway stretch, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on Monday claimed the damage had resulted from “unauthorised excavation by local protesters who are demanding an interchange at the site”.NHAI project director (project implementation unit-Baghpat) Narinder Singh told TOI: “Due to continued obstruction, NHAI has not been allowed to complete critical drainage, slope protection and road safety works. The unauthorised opening has enabled local vehicles to enter the access-controlled expressway, including wrong-side movement, posing a serious safety risk.”Baghpat SSP Suraj Rai said, “A week ago, an FIR was filed against farmers for forcibly trying to breach the expressway using a tractor near the Gangnauli village underpass. On Monday, police force was provided to NHAI engineers after rain caused a cave-in on the road shoulder. And repair work began under security to ensure the damaged stretch could be restored without disruption.”Local farmers refuted obstruction claims but acknowledged their demand for an interchange as, according to them, they were promised that during the time of construction of the elevated corridor.Dharmender Pradhan, a local farm leader, said, “The road could not weather even the first rain. This speaks volumes of the quality of materials used. We are being blamed for their shoddy work. A few days ago another part of the road witnessed two large alloy-bending potholes.”
