The Delhi government has directed the PWD, MCD and DJB to carry out a safety audit of obsolete drains and pipelines following recent incidents of road cave-ins in the city, minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said on Tuesday.

A large portion of a road in west Delhi's Janakpuri caved in due to leakage of a sewer line last week. Similarly, a road in Najafgarh caved in last week. A portion of a road caved-in near Sher Shah road here Tuesday morning, leading to traffic congestion at India Gate C-Hexagon. Asked the possible reasons behind such episodes, Bharadwaj, who holds the charge of urban development, said there are many underground drains of the Public Works Department (PWD), Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).

"Over a period of time, these become obsolete since new drains are constructed. However, the previous drains continue to exist. When there is excessive mud flow through them in the form of slurry, it leads to displacement and subsequently, the condition of a road weakens and with vehicles passing over it, it caves in," he explained.

Following these instances, Bharadwaj said he has directed the PWD, DJB and MCD to carry out a safety audit of such "obsolete services that have been abandoned but existed in the past".

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