Water pipeline leak causes road cave-in at Kaiserbagh

LUCKNOW: Several commuters coming to Kaiserbagh bus station on Sunday morning had a narrow escape when a cave in caused a huge crater in the middle of the road. Authorities said that the cave in was due to a leakage in a water pipeline going below the road.
The crater was formed right in front of the bus station and approximately one foot in diameter, later it became large enough to sink a small car. Hundreds of commuters, autos and e-rickshaws ply regularly on this stretch. The commuters, and passers-by got stuck, leading to a bottleneck situation.
The road comes under the jurisdiction of the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) and is the main road connecting City Station, Kaiserbagh, Lalbagh and other areas. Barricading was done on the site for repairs, which would take at least two days.
Locals said that a small crater was formed near the manhole cover in the wee hours.
"A bike rider also fell after colliding with the crater and suffered bruises. Seeing that they put some stones around it and green stems from a tree so that commuters remain cautious. Meanwhile, the crater kept sinking in and expanded to 4 feet in diameter and around 10 feet deep," said the local shopkeeper, Rameez Khan.
Khan said that he along with others then apprised the Jalkal department to mend pipe leakage and repair the road.
"The Jalkal department arrived eight hours after the information. With no signage or barrier on the spot it posed a threat to commuters, had anybody fallen or got injured then who would have been held responsible," said a local resident, Ganesh Yadav.
Vinay Singh, a passenger said, "There are many other potentially dangerous points on this stretch which are slowly sinking, and small potholes are formed there. Jalkal should also check these points."
It was the fourth such road cave-in incident in the city since November. In all cases, leakage in water/sewage pipe lines resulting in the surface collapsing was a common factor.
When TOI asked, General Manager Jalkal Ram Kailash Gupta, said, "Barricades have been placed in a manner to accommodate passers-by and repair works will be completed as soon.