CJI Gavai Slams Delhi’s Poor Infrastructure: “Two Hours of Rain Paralyse Entire City”

August 18, 2025

New Delhi, August 19: Expressing concern over the dilapidated urban infrastructure of Delhi, Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai said that “just two hours of rain brings the entire capital to a standstill.” He made these remarks in the Supreme Court on Monday during a hearing on the plight of Kerala’s National Highway 544.

The matter was related to the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) appealing against the Kerala High Court’s verdict, in which the High Court had stayed toll collection at a toll plaza in Thrissur district because the road was in a very bad condition.

During the hearing, CJI Gavai asked why people are being charged toll if it takes 12 hours to cover just one stretch of road? “When the road is not passable, why should people pay toll?”

Meanwhile, a lawyer also raised the issue of traffic jams outside the Supreme Court, to which the Chief Justice, comparing it with the rainy situation in Delhi, said, “You know what happens in Delhi — if it rains even for two hours, the entire Delhi comes to a standstill.”

The court expressed displeasure over the performance of NHAI and said that due to the negligence of government agencies, common citizens remain stuck in traffic for hours. On August 14, the bench had also refused to hear the NHAI’s plea and termed the toll collection as unreasonable.

Meanwhile, the recent heavy rains in Delhi have once again proved the extent to which the urban planning and infrastructure of the capital is inefficient. Waterlogging, metro disruptions, school closures and traffic jams have become common sights.

This case highlights not just the condition of one highway, but the laxity of urban infrastructure and the lack of accountability of government agencies across the country.