A stretch of the newly opened Delhi–Dehradun Expressway is trending online. Videos claiming to show huge potholes and damaged vehicles have been spreading on social media.
PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the expressway on April 14, and it was hailed as a major infrastructure project worth almost ₹ 12,000 crore but viral posts claim that parts of the highway already have dangerous potholes, just 79 days after it opened, after the monsoon rains hit.
In the clips going around online, a few men are seen standing on the road, warning drivers to slow down and dodge huge craters on the expressway. Other videos show damaged vehicles, stranded travelers, and dents that people say were caused by hitting the potholes.
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Internet reacts
The videos sparked outrage on social media, with many people questioning the quality of construction and demanding someone be held responsible.
One comment that went viral read: “Delhi to Heaven in just 2.5 seconds.”
Another user wrote: “Very dangerous.”
Some reactions took a more political and angry turn. One person commented: “A case must be register on respective minister for negligence.”
Another user wrote in Hindi: “अंग्रेज़ों के ज़माने के पुल अभी भी खड़े हैं पर देशभक्त हिंदुस्तानियों का बनाया हुआ इंफ्रास्ट्रक्चर एक साल के अंदर ही ढह जाता है! क्या हमें सच में ग़ुलामी से मुक्ति मिली है?” (Bridges built during British rule are still standing, but infrastructure built by Indians collapses within a year! Have we truly become free from slavery?)
A bigger safety worry
This controversy has brought back a familiar complaint about India’s infrastructure, roads and highways that look perfect at their inauguration but start showing cracks once heavy rains hit.
Many people also pointed to a more serious issue: videos showed people standing in the middle of a high-speed expressway, manually warning drivers about the danger. This alarmed a lot of viewers online, and it’s easy to see why, potholes like these could easily cause fatal accidents, especially during rain or when visibility is low.
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FAQs
Q1: When was the expressway inaugurated?
PM Narendra Modi inaugurated it on April 14.
Q2: How much did the project cost?
Around ₹ 12,000 crore.
