Defence Colony Residents Raise Concerns as Sinkhole Reappears on 4th Main

A recurring sinkhole reappeared on Saturday at the exact same spot on 4th Main in Defence Colony, Indiranagar, raising serious concerns among local residents regarding the quality of recent roadworks and inadequate oversight by civic authorities.

Most roads in Defence Colony, located within the CV Raman Nagar Assembly constituency, were asphalted six months ago in mid-February. Following the paving, three sinkholes developed along a stretch of 4th Main. Although the contractor engaged workers to fill all three depressions with concrete, one of the sinkholes caved in again over the weekend.

Residents noted that the recurring problem points to a persistent lack of coordination among engineers from the Bengaluru Central City Corporation (BCCC), Bengaluru Electricity Supply Company (Bescom), and the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB). Utility contractors frequently dig up stretches to repair water leaks or replace damaged power cables but allegedly fail to properly compact the soil, leading to repeated road surface failures.

Kirana Bhat, Joint Secretary of the Defence Colony Residents Association, said residents had fully cooperated with the contractor during the mid-February asphalting, ensuring no vehicles were parked on the street and cautioning workers about underground utility lines. Bhat pointed out that despite these efforts, it is the second time a sinkhole has reappeared in the exact same spot within months of the road being paved, urging contractors to focus on quality.

Other residents also criticized the lack of supervision and testing. Naresh, a local resident, questioned why authorities did not check the quality of materials or determine the root cause of the sinkholes. Another resident, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that the contractor failed to ensure the backfilled soil was adequately compacted before applying asphalt, adding that supervising engineers should have inspected the foundation beforehand.

Addressing the complaint, BCCC Assistant Executive Engineer for CV Raman Nagar, Ranganath, said he would direct the contractor to fill up the reopened sinkhole.