Viral Video Shows Large Pothole On Delhi-Dehradun Expressway Days After Opening, Internet Reacts

A video claiming to show a large pothole on the newly inaugurated Delhi-Dehradun Expressway sparked an online debate about the quality standards. The alleged pothole appeared within days after this project opened to the public. The video, recently posted on Instagram by user @guljar_malik_gm, has racked up over 1.7 million views and more than 55,000 likes. Users took to the comment section and expressed frustration over the condition of the expressway as seen in the video.

"Lo jee, abhi 14 tareek ko iska hua hai udhghatan, abhi se hee gadhe ho rahe hain," he says in Hindi, which is loosely translated to English as: "Here you go, it was inaugurated on the 14th, and potholes have already started appearing."

The 210-km Delhi-Dehradun Expressway was officially inaugurated on April 14, and the clip surfaced less than 10 days later. However, neither the National Highways Authority of India nor the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has confirmed the location or cause of the damage shown. NDTV also can't authenticate the visuals to determine the actual location of the pothole.

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Watch the video here:

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A post shared by Guljar Malik G M (@guljar_malik_gm)

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The video has split social media. Many users expressed frustration, tagging officials and demanding accountability. "Right now there's no rain at all, and look at the condition. When the rains start, it's going to get really bad," one commenter wrote.

While others noted that minor surface issues can occur on new highways due to soil settlement. "Bhai new highway mai ye sab hota hai kyu ki mitti settle nai hoti kitna bi compress kr lo (This happens on new highways because soil doesn't settle, no matter how much you compress it)," a user commented.

The Delhi-Dehradun Expressway is a six-lane, access-controlled corridor designed for 100 kmph speeds, aimed at cutting travel time between Delhi and Dehradun from 6 hours to 2-2.5 hours. When it was inaugurated, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had said that the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway, built at Rs 11,963 crore, is a gift to Uttarakhand and the country.