IFFCO Chowk service road cave-in: Sewer line repair still on, may take 3-4 days

Repair work on a key service road near IFFCO Chowk on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, which caved in earlier this week amid heavy rain, is expected to take another three to four days, officials said on Friday. The cave-in occurred on Tuesday afternoon around 3 pm, and opened up a 10-foot sinkhole on the service road, which connects traffic between Delhi and Jaipur, after an ageing 1,000-mm-diameter master sewer line collapsed beneath the carriageway.

The cave-in initially affected water supply in several parts of Millennium City and disrupted traffic near the arterial stretch to neighbouring cities. While water supply issues were addressed, traffic disruptions still continue.

Officials from the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) said that repair work commenced after the site was dewatered and sewage flow was diverted. The civic agency, officials said, is now working on repairing the sewer line before the stretch can be handed over for reconstruction of the road to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

“Sewage water has been diverted to an alternate manhole and the area was completely dewatered by Wednesday night. The pipeline repair then began,” GMDA spokesperson Neha Sharma told The Indian Express. Sharma added, “Across a 100-metre stretch, Machine Wound Spiral Lining (MWSL) work for pipeline rehabilitation is being taken up.

This will improve the strength, lifespan, and load-bearing capacity of the pipeline. It will take another three to four days to complete the repair.” According to officials, MWSL is a trenchless rehabilitation method that constructs a new, structural polyvinyl chloride pipe inside the damaged sewer line from existing access points.

The technique eliminates the need for extensive open excavation across the critical corridor while reinforcing the underground conduit against future soil erosion and structural failure. Once the GMDA concludes the underground structural repairs, the NHAI will undertake the restoration and resurfacing of the damaged road stretch, said officials.

With the damaged service lane cordoned off, traffic diversions continue near the spot, slowing down vehicular movement along the Expressway service corridor and towards the flyover. Traffic police and highway marshals have advised commuters headed towards Manesar and interior sectors to use alternate service lanes and the Signature Tower junction to bypass the bottleneck.

The IFFCO Chowk junction is among the most critical transport arteries in Gurgaon and the National Capital Region (NCR). Situated on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway (NH-48), it serves as a primary gateway linking South Delhi and the Indira Gandhi International Airport with Gurgaon's industrial belt, Manesar, and Jaipur.

The junction also functions as a major intersection connecting the expressway to Mehrauli-Gurgaon (MG) Road, Old Gurgaon, and Sector 29 commercial hubs. Beyond vehicular traffic, IFFCO Chowk is a key station on the Delhi Metro’s Yellow Line and serves as an intercity bus boarding point for thousands of daily passengers travelling across Haryana and Rajasthan.

Abhimanyu Hazarika is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Gurgaon. He covers southern Haryana. Education - Post-Graduate Diploma in Print Media, Asian College of Journalism (Class of 2020) - B.A. (Hons) Liberal Arts with a major in Political Science, Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts (Class of 2019) Professional Experience Before joining The Indian Express, he worked with Bar & Bench (legal journalism) and Frontline magazine, where he developed experience in court reporting, legal analysis, and long-form investigative features.

Reporting Interests His work centres on civic accountability, environmental policy, urban infrastructure and culture, crime and law enforcement, and their intersections with politics and governance in and around Gurgaon.

Recent Coverage (2025) - Crime: Reported on the recovery of 350 kg of explosives and an AK-47 from a rented house in Faridabad, linked to the 2025 Red Fort car explosion case (November 11, 2025). - Environmental policy: Covered protests outside a Haryana minister’s residence against a Supreme Court order that environmentalists argue could allow mining and real estate development on large parts of the Aravalli hills (December 21, 2025).

- Pollution control measures: Co-authored coverage of the Rekha Gupta government’s enforcement of vehicle restrictions at Delhi-NCR borders (December 21, 2025). - Road safety and infrastructure: Examined response lapses in the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway hit-and-run case and ongoing investigations into high-speed road crimes in Gurugram.

- Animal welfare policy: Reported on concerns regarding the low budget allocated for stray dog sterilization by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (November 30, 2025). - Urban culture: Featured the social media-driven popularity of a new Magnolia Bakery outlet in Gurugram (December 15, 2025).

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