Despite it falling under the Public Works Department’s National Highway (NH) Division, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has stepped in to repair the battered and flood-prone Gaddigodam road underbridge (RuB). Years of inaction by the NH Division and growing public inconvenience forced NMC to intervene.
The Kadbi Chowk–Gaddigodam segment was left unconcretised even though the NH Division had concretised the stretch from Chinchbhavan to Rahate Colony and proposed extending it to Indora. With the project abandoned midway, the underpass became a pothole-ridden, waterlogged nightmare, especially during the monsoon.
Investigations revealed that a damaged stormwater drain, broken allegedly during Central Railway’s works, worsened flooding. The underground drain remained unrepaired for months, causing water accumulation even after brief rain spells.
Repeated complaints by citizens and activists failed to move the NH Division. With no clarity over jurisdiction and no formal handover of the stretch, NMC took up the asphalting work, prioritising public safety. It had earlier deployed dewatering pumps at the site during heavy rains.
Although the underpass remains technically outside NMC’s jurisdiction, the civic body’s move has brought some relief. Yet, the situation highlights deeper governance failures — overlapping responsibilities and a lack of coordination between agencies. Without clear ownership or cooperation from the NH Division, such stopgap measures may have to be repeated in the future.
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