Residents flag encroachments, open waste dumping near Mini Secretariat

Gurugram's Mini Secretariat faces issues like illegal parking, encroachment, and poor hygiene, prompting calls for improved facilities and maintenance.

The Mini Secretariat in Gurugram’s sector 11, an administrative hub housing over 24 key government departments, including the district commissioner’s office and the district court, is grappling with illegal parking, encroachment, uneven road patches and open waste dumping.

Heaps of garbage dumped in a vacant plot near the building as seen o n Friday. (Parveen Kumar/HT)

Lawyers and visitors said the problem of inadequate and illegal parking has persisted for a long time. While there are separate parking spaces for lawyers, district administration officials and visitors, they said the capacity is insufficient.

“The internal road is already narrow and illegal parking on both sides makes it even more congested,” said a practising lawyer at the district court, requesting anonymity.

Advocate Sahil Goyal, a resident of Gurugram, said that around 11,000 lawyers currently practise at the district court. “In the late 1970s, there were only 100 to 200 lawyers here. Now the number has increased significantly, yet the amenities have not improved. Both lawyers and citizens face several difficulties,” he said.

Rahul Dhankhar, secretary of the District Bar Association (DBA), Gurugram, said the issue has been raised with the district commissioner. “He assured us that around 2.5 to 3 acres of land will be allotted for parking. We are hopeful that some steps will be taken in this regard,” he said.

Sapna Yadav, city magistrate, declined to comment to HT on the matter.

They further pointed to instances of open dumping in and around the Mini Secretariat complex, near an empty ground. “People dump waste on the ground and along the roadside. If this is the situation here, one can imagine what the rest of the city must be dealing with,” said a lawyer, requesting anonymity.

Goyal also pointed out that about 50 metres from the DC office building, a damaged road patch has been causing vehicular problem. “On March 3, I saw a car getting stuck due to this pothole on the internal road that connects to Rajiv Chowk. The pothole has been there for over two months,” he said.

Jaiveer Yadav, joint commissioner at the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG), said a team will be sent to inspect the area. “Regular garbage collection is being carried out. Officials will look into the matter,” he said.

Another MCG official said, “We will level and fill the pothole soon.”

HT during a spot check on Friday found that the navigation board near the building’s entrance was removed and placed near the lift lobby, covered in dust.

The washrooms were in poor condition with taps not working and unhygienic surroundings. “Earlier, there used to be sanitary napkin dispensers. Recently, I haven’t seen any such dispensers,” said a staff member, requesting anonymity.

“The washrooms, especially on the ground floor, are in poor condition. One of the washbasins has no tap, while the other has a tap but no water flows from it,” she added.

The Public Works Department (PWD) maintains the interior of the Mini Secretariat. Charandeep Rana, executive engineer at PWD, said, “We will check the status of the washrooms. Last we heard, their upkeep was supposed to be handed over, but we have received no updates so far.”

When asked about the navigation board for the blind and sanitary napkin dispenser, he said that the agency has no idea about the same.