A huge chunk of a road near Bilkhiriya village on the Bhopal Eastern Bypass collapsed on Monday afternoon. It resulted in a crater nearly 30 feet deep and over 100 meters wide. The incident occurred between 12 noon and 1 pm, near the bridge connecting Mandideep to Intkhedi. Fortunately, no vehicles were passing at the time, and no injuries were reported, either.
Massive road collapse on Bhopal bypass
According to eyewitnesses, they saw the sudden sinking of the road. Local resident Bhagwat Yadav told Bhaskar English about the crack he noticed first and immediately alerted the police. Bhagwat said he knew something was wrong, so he didn’t wait for the authorities to act and instead started stopping vehicles on his own. Since the crack was noticed during the daytime, it was easier for him to control traffic. “Had it happened at night, it could have endangered many lives, as vehicles travel at high speeds near the bridge,” he said.
VIDEO | Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh: A 50-meter stretch of the Bhopal-Indore bypass road, containing a pit about 20 feet deep, caved in near the railway track. Further details awaited.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 13, 2025
(Full video available on PTI Videos –https://t.co/n147TvqRQz) pic.twitter.com/MIHgxoIClc
Another eyewitness, Gopal Das from Kalyanpur, said vehicles had passed the spot just minutes earlier. “People nearby helped warn and stop others. This could have been disastrous,” he added.
Congress leaders have blamed the state government for negligence and have demanded the resignation of PWD Minister Rakesh Singh. Congress leader Manoj Shukla criticised the poor road quality, saying, “Beneath the asphalt, only red soil is visible.” With around 25–30 vehicles, including heavy trucks and buses, passing every minute, experts say the collapse could have caused a major disaster.
Investigation launched by MPRDC
Officials from the Madhya Pradesh Road Development Corporation (MPRDC), which manages the operations, confirmed the formation of a three-member investigation committee. The panel, including MPRDC Managing Director and Chief Engineer B.S. Meena, along with General Managers Manoj Gupta and R.S. Chandel, is investigating the exact cause of the collapse and will later submit a report to the government.
Preliminary findings reported the collapse of the Reinforced Earth (RE) wall on one side of the Sukhi Sewania Railway Over Bridge (ROB) on State Highway-18. An MPRDC spokesperson said, “If the investigation report reveals negligence or irregularities, strict action will be taken against those responsible.” Barricades have been placed and one side of the road has been closed to divert traffic. Repairing work began late Monday evening.
The bridge was constructed in 2013 under a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model by M/s Transstroy Pvt. Ltd. The contract was cancelled in 2020 after the company didn’t comply with contractual obligations. Since then, the MPRDC has been managing the roads.
According to the experts, heavy rainfall and poor maintenance over the years may have worsened the road’s condition. It has resulted in potholes. This collapse follows a similar incident in MP Nagar just four months ago, when a section of road caved in, forming an eight-foot-deep pit.