Overview
- Heavy overnight rain on Tuesday washed away soil under the approach to the Nanda Ki Chowki bridge, creating a large cavity that cut the road connection on the Dehradun–Paonta Sahib Highway.
- Officials said the main bridge structure, opened on July 12 to replace last year’s washed-away span, remained intact and undamaged while only the approach section subsided.
- District administration, PWD and irrigation teams carried out emergency work to manage river flow and fill the cavity, and temporary repairs reopened the route to traffic in about 12 hours.
- PWD has ordered a preliminary inquiry with a report due in days, and officials say Himalayan Construction must pay for repairs under the project’s defect-liability terms.
- Opposition leaders staged protests demanding an independent CBI probe and resignations, and the incident adds to recent national scrutiny of new highway and bridge failures that has prompted audits and disciplinary action.