Ludhiana, Aug. 7 -- Just days after the municipal corporation (MC) patched up a cave-in outside a house in Kitchlu Nagar by filling it with soil, the same stretch of road collapsed again on Thursday, this time leaving behind a massive crater nearly 25 feet deep and wide. The second cave-in in less than a week has heightened fears among residents, who say the recurring collapses now threaten the foundations of nearby houses.

The civic body suspects the collapse was triggered by damage to the DART (Deep Underground Sewerage System) trunk sewer, one of the city's main underground sewer lines that carries sewage to treatment plants.

Municipal corporation commissioner Ojasvi Alankar said, "The sewer wall may have been damaged during the layi...