Road caves in, residents protest by having 'picnic' there

ROORKEE: Continuous rainfall over the past few days led to a major cave-in on an inner city road in Roorkee, creating a large crater. Due to the rains, a he portion of the road near DAV Degree College, measuring about 20-ft in diameter, sank nearly 3-ft below the surface.

The incident sparked protests from residents, who questioned the quality of materials used. They staged a symbolic protest by placing chairs and stools at the site, calling it a "city picnic spot", and drank tea there to display their anger. "This road was constructed a few years ago under an Asian Development Bank project. The quality is such that it turned hollow from inside," said Dipak Lakhwan, who led the protest.After the protests, Roorkee Municipal Corporation carried out soil-filling and reopened the remaining portion. "We have written to the project authorities, asking them to resume work after the weather improves," said Prem Sharma, a civil engineering works official at RMC.