SHIVSAFGAR FLYOVER’S DRAINAGE SYSTEM FAILS

SHIVSAFGAR FLYOVER’S DRAINAGE SYSTEM FAILS

5-JULY-ENG 6

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

SASARAM-------------------------The first heavy rainfall has raised several questions regarding the Varanasi-Aurangabad six-laning project on NH-19, one of the country's busiest national highways. During the rain on Wednesday evening, water accumulated on the Shivsagar flyover; due to the lack of an adequate drainage system, the water cascaded down from the bridge in a strong stream. Additionally, the service lanes on both sides of the flyover became waterlogged, causing significant inconvenience to motorists and pedestrians. Approximately ₹3,854 crore has been spent on this 192.4-kilometer-long project. It was developed under Phase-5 of the Central Government's National Highways Development Project (NHDP). The project is being executed by Welspun Enterprises Ltd. under the supervision of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). This project was constructed with the aim of providing safe, fast, and seamless traffic movement; however, the situation that emerged during the very first heavy rainfall has raised serious questions regarding construction quality, the drainage system, and technical oversight.

Locals express deep concern that despite the expenditure of thousands of crores of rupees on this modern flyover, water accumulation and cascading runoff—resembling a waterfall—occurred during the very first rain. They argue that had the construction been executed with proper quality and in adherence to prescribed technical standards, such a situation would not have arisen.

Local citizens have demanded a high-level technical inquiry into the roles of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the construction agency Welspun Enterprises Ltd., and the supervising engineers. They assert that if the investigation reveals any negligence regarding construction work, the drainage system, or quality standards, strict action must be taken to fix accountability on the concerned agency, engineers, and officials.

People maintain that when ₹3,854 crore of public tax money is spent, the fact that the flyover's infrastructure comes under scrutiny after just the first rain makes this not merely a technical flaw but also an issue of accountability. Public attention is now focused on when the concerned agencies will implement a permanent solution to this problem. An attempt was made to contact NHAI Project Director Ranjit Kumar Verma regarding this matter, but his response could not be obtained by the time this report was filed. His version, once received, will also be published prominently.