It has become almost run-of-the-mill to read about pothole-related mishaps. Motorists and pedestrians alike have become virtually inured to the inconvenience, hardship and even injury caused by bad roads and crater-like potholes. There is an even worse menace afoot — the roads themselves are caving in and collapsing.

In 2008, a road cave-in at Jacob Circle near Mahalaxmi took three lives. Another similar cave-in happened on the same road in April 2009, making it the third such incident in the Saat Rasta area and the sixth in South Mumbai in four years.