Delhi roads face repeat digging as utility agencies work separately

A Delhi road repaired after one utility job can be cut open again when another agency arrives to lay a cable or pipeline. Repeated excavation can affect the condition and durability of road surfaces.

Agencies install and repair underground utilities, including cables and pipelines, on some of the same stretches at different times. Without coordinated schedules, one round of road restoration can be followed by another round of digging.

For residents, this can mean a repaired road is reopened for another worksite. Delhi has cleared a plan for shared underground utility ducts, which would place multiple services in common infrastructure rather than require separate excavations.

The plan is intended to reduce the need to reopen roads for individual utility works.