Gurugram residents protest over dust on SPR, key roads

Residents protest storm drain work; CAQM flags poor compliance as AQI in Sector 51 hits very poor and agencies cite enforcement drives.

Heaps of dust continue to blanket Gurugram’s major arterial and internal roads, including the Southern Peripheral Road (SPR), Golf Course Extension Road and Sector 102 Road connecting to the Dwarka expressway, residents said on Monday, a day after they staged a protest over poor dust mitigation measures on the SPR.

CAQM notices, Grap fines and survey findings underline gaps in mitigation even as GMDA says 75% of drain work is complete. (Parveen Kumar/HT)

The protest on Sunday was triggered by ongoing construction of leg IV of the stormwater master drain along a 5.2 km stretch of the SPR. Residents alleged that excavation along the main carriageway, particularly on a 4km stretch between Vatika Chowk in Sector 69 and the SPR, has led to excessive dust, posing health risks to daily commuters.

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) had in January issued notices to the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) and the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) over poor enforcement of dust mitigation norms on the SPR. “The dust mitigation guidelines of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), including covering the construction sites and using sprinklers as suppressants, were not being followed on the SPR. Notices are served as a reminder to the developmental agencies to work systematically and not cause any deterioration to the localised air quality,” said Siddharth Bhargava, regional officer at the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) in Gurugram (south).

Sunil Sareen, vice president of Imperial Gardens’ resident welfare association (RWA) in Sector 102, said, “Every time vehicles pass through the unpaved stretch on the SPR, large amounts of dust blow into the air, causing respiratory distress. The authorities need to fix accountability on a ward-wise or block-wise basis.”

Mayank Chauhan, a resident of Godrej Homes in Sector 80, said, “The internal roads in Sector 90 connecting to the Dwarka expressway are marred with potholes and loose soil, resulting in massive dust clouds. Similar stretches on Golf Course Extension Road require urgent attention from the authorities.”

HSPCB officials said enforcement drives are underway. “The findings of a city-wide survey on November 30 by 20 board teams were shared with the civic bodies to take action against construction and demolition (C&D) waste, road dust and potholes. Both short-term and long-term interventions were sought,” a senior HSPCB official said, requesting anonymity.

MCG data from March 2026 showed 225 challans for C&D waste dumping worth ₹54.7 lakh, 40 challans for dust mitigation worth ₹7.92 lakh and 179 non-stop construction challans amounting to ₹45.6 lakh between October 14 and February 28 since the invocation of the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap).

Ravinder Yadav, additional commissioner of the MCG, said, “The status of roads surveyed by the HSPCB was submitted through an action taken report (ATR) in January,” detailing debris removal, pothole repairs, mechanised sweeping and water sprinkling.

In response, Dr Manoj Kumar, analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, said, “During summer, PM10 levels typically rise due to dry conditions and increased dust resuspension… Authorities must ensure full compliance with long-term dust control norms.”

The nearest air quality monitoring station in Sector 51 has been recording an average AQI of 319 (“very poor”) February 23, according to data by the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB). On Monday, the average PM10 value remained 187 ug/m3, with a minimum of 134 ug/m3 at 6pm and a maximum of 310 ug/m3 at 2pm.

Meanwhile, a GMDA spokesperson said identified points on the SPR were covered and dust-suppression measures were enforced. “Around 75% of the physical work… has been completed, and the remaining 1,277 metres… is expected to be completed by June 2026. Around ₹5.5 crore in penalties have been imposed on the contractor for project delays,” the spokesperson said.