MCG cleans 408km of drains, aims to desilt 473km by May-end

Target of 473 km by May-end; RWAs say work incomplete in several sectors, with delays and stalled projects raising fresh waterlogging concerns.

With the monsoon a few months away, the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) on Thursday said 408 kilometres of the city’s 607 km drainage network have been cleaned so far, even as residents flagged delays and incomplete work on the ground.

MCG cleans 408km of drains, aims to desilt 473km by May-end

Officials said the civic body is targeting desilting of at least 473km of drains by May 31. The exercise is crucial in Gurugram, which frequently faces severe waterlogging during the monsoon.

Earlier this month, Urban Local Bodies (ULB) commissioner and secretary Ashok Kumar Meena directed authorities to take urgent and coordinated steps to prevent flooding.

Yash Jaluka, additional commissioner, MCG, said that around 408 km of drains have been desilted so far. “The remaining drains will be cleaned before the monsoon. We are aiming to complete desilting of nearly 473 km by May 31. The efforts are ongoing,” he said.

Residents and RWAs, however, said work remains pending in several sectors. Puneet Pahwa, general secretary of sector 45, said desilting has not begun despite nearly 20km of drains. “There are nearly 20 kilometres of drains in our sector, but no work has been initiated so far,” he said.

Balbir Singh, a resident of Sector 46, said the situation has remained unchanged for years. “Desilting work in our sector has not been carried out for the last four years. While MCG is busy with photo opportunities, accountability goes missing when severe waterlogging hits the area,” he said.

Kundan Lal Sharma, general secretary of Sector 21 RWA, said nearly 75% of the work was completed before being halted. “The remaining drains are yet to be cleaned; however, there is no sign of when it will be done,” he said. Meanwhile, BS Yadav, RWA president of sector 31, said incomplete work last year worsened waterlogging even during light rain. “Our sector faces severe waterlogging, even in the case of even little rain”, he added.

MCG officials said tenders have been floated for pending works in Ward 10, South City II, Nirvana Country, Rosewood City (Ward 15), Hero Honda Chowk to Anaj Mandi (Ward 28), and Suncity (Ward 21). In response to the plaints, Vijay Dhaka, chief engineer, MCG, said that desilting is not required in some stretches of the drainage network. “Tenders have been floated, and the remaining drains will be cleaned soon,” he added.