Firm, contractor booked for damaging public infrastructure in Ggm’s Sector 65

Police booked a real estate firm and a contractor for allegedly damaging roads, drainage and green belt in Sector 65 with unauthorised digging to lay 33kV power supply cables, officials said on Friday. The underground cables were being laid to supply power to a housing project in Sector 63A from a substation of the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) in Sector 66, police informed

According to investigators, the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) gave permission to dig 33 metres away from the centre of the road but the digging work was conducted only 16 metres away instead. Based on a complaint filed by Jagdish Chander, assistant engineer (Infra-I), GMDA, an FIR under section 3 (mischief causing damage to public property) of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act was registered at Sector 65 police station on Thursday night.

The complainant alleged that GMDA permitted to lay two 33kV feeders away from the service road drain but the duct was laid along the main carriageway drain, and on the green belt between the main road and the service road, damaging the public property. Chander further alleged the authority instructed the firms to cease digging and remove the cables but work resumed despite the order. A notice was served to the firms on July 29 this year regarding this.

The contractor Harveer Singh alleged that cable laying work cannot be carried out at a distance of 33 metres from the centre of the main road as there are private houses and boundary walls there. “We can’t dig below people’s properties. We informed the concerned GMDA executive engineer that no digging work could be conducted 33 metres away from the road,” he said. Singh further alleged that he was assured that revised permission would be issued.

Meanwhile, DHBVN sub-divisional officer, Badshahpur, said that he has no knowledge about any such FIR. “GMDA should have served us a copy of the FIR too,” he noted. A police official said that the firm and contractor will be soon issued notices to join the investigation. According to Neha Sharma, public relations officer, GMDA, the authority does not permit unauthorised digging work which damages public infrastructure. “GMDA chief executive officer Sudhir Rajpal has made it clear that the authority will act against any found involved in illegal digging work,” she said.

Subhash Boken, public relations officer, Gurugram police, said, “We will act in accordance with evidence gathered during the investigation.”