Four years of waterlogging problem in Gurugram Sector 82 road leading to Vatika townships

A 500-meter road in Gurugram Sector 82 faces chronic waterlogging, leading to stranded buses and residents' complaints. Government agencies blame each other for the issue.

A 500-metre stretch of a road in Gurugram Sector 82 leading to the Vatika India Next and Vatika Signature Villas residential townships has faced a waterlogging problem for the past four years. Despite repeated complaints to civic officials, say residents, the road remains in a state of disrepair with garbage piles on all sides, and a drainage system unable to handle the monsoon showers. The road is currently waterlogged — after rainfall in the city on Sunday — and last week, two buses filled with children from different private schools were stranded on the waterlogged stretch following heavy rainfall.

The waterlogged road stretch in Gurugram Sector 82 connected to Blocks E, F, G, and H in Vatika Next on Thursday. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

To be sure, after last week’s rainfall, the Gurugram deputy commissioner visited the spot with his team and got the water removed using pumps. But with the stretch becoming waterlogged again only days later, residents point to how government agencies have for years blamed each other for the lack of progress in fixing the road’s infrastructure.

“It is being investigated whether the road belongs to the private builder or which civic agency/ department. If it is found to be the builder’s road, a notice will be issued under Section 133 of the CrPC (Code of Criminal Procedure), and orders will be given for drainage management and road repairs,” said Jitendra Kumar, additional municipal commissioner of Manesar.

GMDA (Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority) officials said that the master storm water drain network for Sectors 1 to 115 in Gurugram was planned by HSVP (Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran) following the 2012 notification of the final development plan of the Gurugram Manesar Urban Complex. GMDA took over the drainage network for Sectors 1 to 67 from HSVP in 2017. However, the storm water network for Sectors 68 to 80 and 112 to 115 remains incomplete, with only partial coverage for Sectors 81 to 111.

Abhinav Verma, executive engineer at GMDA, said on Monday that HSVP will complete the storm water drainage network in the sector and then hand it over to GMDA.

Complaints galore

Mahesh Yadav, a resident of Vatika Signature Villas in Sector 82, said, “GMDA says HSVP will build the drain. But HSVP says they can’t lay drain without the road, and the Municipal Corporation of Manesar (MCM) is reluctant to build the road. Vatika even sent a notice to residents asking for ₹70 lakh to construct the public road. Why should residents of a township pay for a public road? They demanded that deputy commissioner should intervene to resolve the drain issue.”

Residents of Vatika India Next in Sector 82 have written to the Haryana chief minister at least 10 times this year, requesting him to visit the spot and take note of their plight.

“All the government agencies have failed to provide basic infrastructure such as roads, sewerage, and waste management. They are just working on paper; action on the ground is missing,” said Manjeet Ghanghas, a resident of Sector 82 Vatika Floora.

HSVP said it is now addressing the missing link of the drains, with work underway.

Stranded children

After heavy rainfall on July 11, a bus from a private school, and a bus from another private school in Sector 48, were stuck in the waterlogged area.

Om Prakash, the driver of a private school bus, said that it is difficult to commute on the stretch to pick up and drop off children when it is waterlogged. The bus broke down in the middle of the road on Wednesday. “The road was flooded, and as the bus was taking the children to school, it broke down in the water. After much effort, we had to call for another bus to safely transfer the children. The stranded bus was eventually pulled out with the help of a tractor,” he said.

“Some parents have reported that during the rainy season, when the road is blocked, school buses do not come and the schools switch to online classes,” said Navdeep Singh, another resident.

Sector 82 residents had previously raised the issue with MCM officials. Following these complaints, additional municipal commissioner Kumar and engineering wing officials visited the site on Wednesday, assuring residents of a solution.