Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Indore police said that telecom company Airtel was responsible for the sudden sinking in of a part of road in city's Meghdoot area in Scheme No. 54, Vijay Nagar, on Friday morning.
According to Additional Commissioner Rohit Sisoniya, Airtel had conducted an unauthorised digging in the area.
This damaged an underground reused water pipeline, causing persistent leakage that weakened the road foundation and led to the collapse.
“The road was 20 years old, but the immediate cause was Airtel’s illegal excavation and damage to the pipeline,” Sisodia said.
“A penalty of Rs 3 lakh has been imposed on the company, and an FIR will be filed,” he added.
Citizens expressed outrage over the negligence, highlighting repeated complaints to the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) regarding poor drainage work and the delayed response.
Traffic remained disrupted for several hours, causing inconvenience to commuters. Repair work began only after senior officials arrived at the site for inspection.
The incident has once again raised serious concerns about the lack of coordination between civic bodies and private contractors involved in urban infrastructure projects.
Residents are demanding accountability and timely action, criticising the recurring pattern of negligence. Many believe that stricter oversight and better planning are urgently needed to prevent such incidents in the future.