Gurugram: Cong accuses BJP of ‘betraying Surat Nagar’ over civic neglect

Amid sewage overflows and waterlogging, Surat Nagar residents slammed BJP rule. Congress called it betrayal, while BJP and MCG defended ongoing sanitation efforts.

Congress leaders and residents of Surat Nagar on Sunday accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of betraying Gurugram by failing to provide even basic civic facilities, alleging that daily life has been reduced to a struggle for survival amid sewage overflows, stagnant water, and uncollected garbage.

Stray cattle feeding on illegally dumped garbage in Surat Nagar 1 in Sector 104 extension. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

Responding to repeated appeals from locals, the Congress delegation visited Surat Nagar, which houses about 2,000 families and hosts a population of nearly 30,000 residents, and walked through its waterlogged lanes. District Congress president (urban) Pankaj Dawar, who led the visit, alleged that the government was making “false claims of development while leaving citizens to live in miserable conditions.”

“This is not ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ but betrayal with everyone. For 24 hours a day, residents are forced to wade through dirty water. Young people are unable to find marriage proposals, children struggle to get to school, and the elderly remain trapped indoors. Life has been turned into a living hell,” Dawar said, blaming poor drainage systems for flooding and sewage overflow even in the absence of rainfall.

Residents echoed his remarks. Vinod Gehlot, a local, said, “We are not asking for luxuries, just basic civic facilities. Every day we fight to get sewage cleared and garbage lifted. No one from the administration or government listens to us.” Another resident, Mukesh Singla, added, “People here are abandoning their work and businesses just to demand drainage of dirty water. Our colony has been neglected for years.”

Dawar also criticised the chief minister for not meeting citizens during his recent stay in Gurugram. “The CM spent a night in Gurugram but did not visit even one troubled neighbourhood. He fears the people will question him. Ministers and BJP leaders are absent when it comes to addressing civic issues,” he said.

Senior Congress leaders Kulraj Kataria, Rahul Yadav, and Seema Pahujha accompanied Dawar, demanding urgent intervention from the government and municipal authorities. “The reality is so bad that even animals would not want to live here,” Dawar remarked.

In response, BJP leaders defended the government. Cabinet minister Rao Narbir Singh said, “The Congress government sold land and allowed colonies to mushroom without ensuring proper planning or infrastructure. The problems residents face now are not of our making, but we have taken on the responsibility to fix them. Under BJP rule, we are restructuring and developing Gurugram with proper planning, improved roads, better sanitation, and modern facilities so that residents can enjoy a higher quality of life.”

Officials of the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) also responded. Commissioner Pradeep Dahiya, along with his team, visited Surat Nagar under the ongoing Haryana City Sanitation Campaign. He inspected cleanliness activities in the ward, including road and alley cleaning and removal of garbage from vacant plots and public spaces, and directed his staff to expedite the process. “Under the Haryana City Sanitation Campaign, we are conducting special cleanliness drives in different areas daily,” Dahiya said.