Agencies fail to see ‘hole’ story

If the worn-out thoroughfares were not enough to highlight the Millennium City’s deplorable civic situation, the blatant refusal of the government engineers to acknowledge the problem of waterlogging and potholes paints a hopeless picture indeed.

During a meeting on flood control and disaster preparedness on Thursday, the executive engineers (XENs) of the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon and the Haryana Urban Development Authority (Huda) told the deputy commissioner of Gurgaon that roads here did not have potholes and that waterlogging was not a major issue.

Following this, the deputy commissioner has sought a written report regarding the same within ten days. He also directed the Huda, MCG and the Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructural Development Corporation (HSIIDC) authorities to ensure that all drains were cleaned and de-silted.

Following heavy rains in the past week, various localities and sectors were caught in knee-deep stagnant water for more than two days. As the water drained out, most of these roads have been left damaged. “All major internal sector roads are damaged. There have been complaints from many areas, with residents’ welfare associations sending messages and pictures of damaged roads,” said RS Rathee, president, Gurgaon Citizens’ Council.

Some of the roads which are in bad shape include Golf Course Road, Old Delhi Road, MG Road, the one connecting Bristol Chowk and Sector 56, and the internal roads of Sushant Lok 1,2 and 3.

Internal roads of Ardee City, the road between Dronacharya and Sikandarpur Metro stations, and the road connecting Vatika City and Sector 56 are also among the worst-hit. All of these roads require urgent maintenance, including carpeting and filling of potholes.

While the civic authorities claim that their roads have no potholes, the builder areas of the city suffer the worst fate.

“Compared to last year, the Huda roads are in a better situation this year. However, the roads in builder areas have virtually no maintenance and upkeep at all, especially because there is no regulation from authorities,” said Nisha Singh, an MCG councillor.

According to Joginder Singh, RWA president, DLF phase 3, “The builders make no effort to take care of the roads. The internal and main roads are in a bad shape as the patchworks wear off very soon. The entire road should be made at one go.”