‘Key Gurugram roads still covered in dust despite clean-up’

Target of 143 km dust-free roads missed; shortage of machines, staff cited as key hurdle while enforcement gaps and construction activity add to issue.

Despite claims by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) that regular sweeping and dust-control measures are underway, most city roads remain covered in loose dust, raising concerns among residents and environmentalists.

Vehicular movement on a dusty stretch of the Southern Peripheral Road, near Sector 70, creates a haze on Monday. (Parveen Kumar/HT)

According to the action plan finalised on December 30, 2025, the civic body had set a target to make 143.1 kilometres of roads dust-free within a quarter — 49 km in January, 46.1 km in February, and 48 km in March. However, most stretches continue to be dust-laden. Data accessed from MCG shows that at least 550 road sweepers were deployed across the city’s four zones from January to March, removing around 4,400 kg of dust.

Key stretches identified under the plan — including Bakhtawar Chowk, Umang Chowk, the Hero Honda Chowk stretch, Southern Peripheral Road, Kataria Chowk, Artemis Road, Wazirabad Road, Ambedkar Chowk, the Dhanwapur underpass, Golf Course Road, Vatika Chowk to Aria Mall, and Basai Chowk, among others — were to be made dust-free by April 2026. These roads continue to report visible dust accumulation as seen in HT’s spot check last week.

Officials attributed the delay to a shortage of resources and multiple ongoing development projects. The city currently has only 18 mechanical road-sweeping machines against a required fleet of 42, and 4,910 personnel against a required strength of 5,426. Officials said new machinery is expected to be added within this year.The action plan itself notes that achieving 100% dust-free roads with existing resources could take up to three months.

Ravinder Yadav, additional commissioner at MCG, said, “Removing dust from roads is not a one-day job. It requires regular monitoring and sweeping. While we are short on resources, our target is still to keep a close watch on dust accumulation. Eventually, a difference will be seen.”

Environmentalists have called for stronger enforcement and inter-agency coordination. “Dust haze is clearly visible in Gurugram today. While MCG and other civic agencies are making efforts, the scale of the problem demands coordinated action across departments, including strict enforcement,” said Ruchika Sethi, an environmentalist. She added that open transport of sand in low-body tractors and trucks remains a major contributor, allowing sand to become airborne and get repeatedly resuspended by traffic.

Residents echoed similar concerns. “Trucks transporting construction materials and sand are often seen without proper covering, contributing significantly to dust pollution. There are potholes everywhere in Gurugram. These sources increase dust pollution in the city,” said Naveen Bhardwaj, resident of Sector 37.

To be sure, the MCG issued at least 37 challans between November and February to vehicles transporting construction material without proper covering, with total penalties amounting to approximately ₹1.85 lakh.

Gauri Sarin, environmentalist and founder of Making Model Gurugram, questioned the overall approach. “While the MCG’s intent to create dust-free roads is commendable, the approach raises questions about its effectiveness. Focusing on select stretches each month while leaving the rest of the city neglected undermines the overall objective. We need an update on what MCG has done in the last 3 months to create dust-free Gurgaon starting with their own submitted plan. Heaps of dust on roadsides continue to make Gurgaon a dust bowl, causing persistent health issues,” she said.