Nagpur: In a stunning reversal, the Public Works Department (PWD) has been forced to remove the newly installed height barriers on the Shaheed Gowari Flyover — just three days after their installation — following a series of seven accidents involving heavy vehicles.
The iron barriers, weighing nearly 2 tonnes each and installed to restrict heavy vehicle movement on the aging flyover, were supposed to be a long-term safeguard. Instead, they turned into crash magnets. Between Monday night and Thursday evening, five vehicles slammed into the Zero Mile end and two at the Rahate Colony side, leaving the structures mangled and beyond use.
Gold Rate
06 June 2025
With the barriers gone, the decades-old flyover — also known as Sitabuldi Flyover — is once again exposed to the wear and tear of overloaded vehicles. The decision to remove the barriers was taken after a cement mixer and later a bus smashed into them within hours of each other on Wednesday night and Thursday evening.
This marks the second failed attempt to protect the flyover in less than a year. In August 2023, PWD installed barriers costing Rs 15 lakh, only to see them wrecked within days. Determined to fix the flaw, authorities returned with a reinforced version this week, spending an additional Rs 25 lakh. The result: a combined Rs 40 lakh of public funds reduced to twisted metal in just nine months.
A PWD official, clearly frustrated, placed part of the blame on the Nagpur City traffic police. “There should have been a 24/7 traffic checkpoint at both ends of the flyover, at least for a month, to familiarize drivers with the restriction. But the traffic department refused to cooperate, citing internal constraints,” he said.
So far, only two FIRs have been registered for damage to public property — one each at Bajaj Nagar and Sitabuldi police stations — despite seven incidents being reported. The lack of enforcement and coordination between civic and police agencies has raised serious concerns about accountability.
What was intended as a safety upgrade has now turned into another glaring example of poor planning, poor execution, and zero enforcement. As it stands, the Gowari Flyover is back to square one — open and vulnerable to the very threat the barriers were supposed to prevent.
