ISLAMABAD: India's newly inaugurated Delhi-Dehradun Expressway has come under sharp criticism after videos circulating on social media showed large potholes on sections of the highway following recent monsoon rains, prompting opposition leaders to allege corruption in the project's construction.
The expressway, reportedly built at a cost of around 120 billion Indian rupees (approximately $1.4 billion), was inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April this year.
Indian National Congress national spokesperson Dr Shama Mohamed accused the government of wasting taxpayers' money, claiming the appearance of potholes within two months of the project's inauguration raised serious questions about construction quality.
“Just two months later, large potholes have appeared on the expressway after a single spell of rain. What more proof of corruption do we need? It is open loot and plunder in every department,” she wrote in a post on X.
Several other social media users also shared videos and photographs purportedly showing damaged stretches of the expressway, with some alleging that the road defects had caused accidents and damaged vehicles. However, these claims could not be independently verified.
The criticism comes as heavy monsoon rains have affected several parts of northern India, damaging roads and disrupting transportation in multiple states.
