Claim
The brand-new Delhi-Dehradun highway got torn up in the very first rain.
“नया नवेला दिल्ली देहरादून हाईवे पहली ही बारिश में उखड़ गया।”▶ Watch source segment
Rationale
The Delhi-Dehradun Expressway was inaugurated on April 14, 2026, and multiple independent outlets reported on July 2, 2026 (the broadcast date) that stretches of it caved in and developed large potholes during the first monsoon rains, notably near the Shamli interchange, damaging vehicles. NHAI implicitly confirmed the damage by suspending the authority engineer's team leader and the contractor's project manager. The anchor's phrasing ('torn up') is mildly hyperbolic since the damage was at specific stretches rather than the whole 213-km highway, but the core claim — a brand-new highway visibly damaged in the first rain — is substantiated.
Evidence
- https://www.amarujala.com/dehradun/dehradun-delhi-expressway-road-caves-in-during-the-very-first-monsoon-rain-video-goes-viral-2026-07-02 Amar Ujala (2026-07-02) reports the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway road caved in during the very first monsoon rain, with vehicle rims broken and video going viral. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india/delhi-dehradun-expressway-develops-large-potholes-in-just-three-months-of-opening-viral-video-shows-safety-risk-2026-07-02-1046906 India TV (2026-07-02) confirms large potholes developed on the expressway within about three months of its April 14, 2026 inauguration, posing safety risks. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://navbharatlive.com/delhi/delhi-dehradun-expressway-road-caved-in-nhai-action-show-cause-notice-shamli-1837034.html Reports NHAI acknowledged the road caving near the Shamli interchange and suspended the authority engineer's team leader and the contractor's project manager, corroborating that real damage occurred. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://theprint.in/feature/potholes-delhi-dehradun-expressway-nhai-local-people-congress-corruption/2975850/ ThePrint covers the potholes on the newly opened expressway and the ensuing controversy, including NHAI's response. ✓ reachable · archived