A portion of National Highway No. 5 caved in following incessant rain in Bhubaneswar on Monday.

National Highways Authority of India has started repair of the affected stretch between Vani Vihar Square and Rasulgarh near the underpass in front of the Regional Telecom Training Centre.

The sudden cave-in has created panic among residents and commuters who frequent the road.

A site engineer of Simplex Infra, the agency carrying out expansion work of the national highway between Baramunda and Chandikhole, attributed the cave-in to continuous downpour for more than 48 hours. However, commuters are not ready to buy the theory.

Advocate and human rights activist Prabir Das said sloppy construction of road had resulted in the situation.