A portion of a flyover at the Delhi-Jaipur rail line near Pataudi collapsed on Saturday. The flyover was inaugurated by the Haryana Public Wealth Department in September 2019 and collapsed just five months after its unveiling.

Officials of the PWD said that while the investigation will take 2-3 days to conclude, initial inspection suggests that the base structure was weakened due to heavy rainfall. The officials have also called the contractor to launch a thorough investigation.

"It is early to say anything about the issue but prima facie it appears that due to heavy rain over the past few days, rainwater might have seeped inside some pillars and weakened the structure. After an investigation, the actual reason behind the damage will be ascertained," said Pradeep Singh Sandhu, SDO of the department.

The locals, however, have blamed PWD for ignoring it. A few months ago, the flyover had developed gaps but the department ignored the alarms raised by the residents.

However, no casualty was reported, the estimated cost of the flyover was Rs 14 crore and was inaugurated by then PWD Minister Rao Narbir Singh in September, 2019.

Soon after the incident, the police sealed the flyover and stopped the traffic movement to facilitate the investigation by the Public Works Department (PWD). PWD officials suspect heavy rains might have caused the collapse.

The village head (sarpanch) reported the incident to the concerned police station and the district administration.

"Around 10 am, we received information that a large part of the flyover has fallen down. We immediately rushed to the spot to investigate. We have sealed both ends of the flyover and deployed four constables to ensure nobody accesses it" said a police official.

Just a few minutes before the accident, two trucks and few small vehicles had crossed the damaged portion and had a narrow escape. "Thankfully, it was morning and the traffic was lean because of the weekend," said Narender, who was present at the spot.

"The stretch served as a vital link between Gurugram and Rewari. Now that the flyover is sealed, the locals claim that reaching Rewari from Gurugram will require an extra trip of 5 km", said a villager.