Khattar blames Delhi government and planning failure for Gurgaon mess

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday admitted better operational efficiency among different government agencies could have prevented the waterlogging and gridlock witnessed in Gurgaon on Thursday.

Preferring to take a macro-view, instead of pinpointing blame on officials, the CM assured that a major operation would be undertaken to undo planning failures, which he said were a legacy of the past.

The CM also laid part of the blame on the Delhi government, which he said had not cleaned the Najafgarh drain in time as result of which water intake into it was low.

Khattar was speaking at Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Gurgaon after conducting an aerial survey of the city and the Badshahpur drain. While on his way to Manesar, the CM also stopped at Hero Honda Chowk to understand the cause for Thursday’s logjam.

“The jams at Hero Honda Chowk is the result of planning failure as NHAI did not provide for a flyover there,” he said.

“A few large vehicles also broke down on Thursday that blocked the road. Also there was a strike of taxis in Delhi which opened around 3.30 pm leading to congestion on the expressway,” Khattar said.

But the CM admitted that there were large-scale encroachments along the Badshahpur drain, and also it needed cleaning at several places.

“We will have to organise a major operation after a detailed survey to resolve this problem,” he said.

Khattar admitted that better coordination between agencies could have prevented the gridlock on Thursday.