Residents struggle with potholes, dust on key Gurugram Sector 102 road

The stretch that connects Hero Honda Chowk to Dwarka Expressway has been in disrepair for over four years

Commuting along the road connecting Sector 102/102A to the Dwarka Expressway has become a nightmare for residents and office-goers alike. The road is plagued by broken stretches, deep potholes, and relentless dust, making daily travel hazardous, complained residents from nearby neighbourhoods.

An unfunctional storm water drain on the Gurugram sector 102/102A road on Friday. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

Frequent accidents and vehicle damage have become common as people struggle to navigate the deteriorating conditions. Despite being a vital 1.7km link to the Dwarka Expressway, this crucial route has been left to decay, raising serious concerns about the safety of commuters, air quality, and the overall long-term feasibility of using the road, residents said, adding that the dust pollution has led to health issues among locals.

The stretch that connects Hero Honda Chowk to Dwarka Expressway has been in disrepair for over four years, residents said, adding that their complaints to the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) have not yielded any results. A tender for repairs was approved nearly a year ago, but no progress has been made since then.

“We approached the office of Rao Narbir Singh (Haryana’s environment minister), and we were assured that the work on this road will begin within this week itself. However, we need GMDA to follow through on this commitment and ensure that the work is completed without further delays,” said Sunil Sareen, a resident of Imperial Garden in Sector 102 and deputy convener of the Dwarka Expressway Group Development Authority.

Colonel (rtd) Hari Bhagwan, RWA president of Oyster Grande, Sector 102, said the prolonged delay in repairs is frustrating. “For the past four years, residents have been facing serious health issues owing to incomplete the construction. The road is in a terrible shape, and the dust is making things worse. GMDA needs to act on priority to avoid further inconvenience to thousands of residents who use this stretch daily.”

The road near Joyville in Sector 102 is in a deplorable state, plagued by deep potholes and thick clouds of dust. “The road in front of our society is in a terrible condition. The potholes make commuting a nightmare, and the dust is suffocating, especially during peak hours. It’s posing serious health risks, particularly for children and the elderly. Despite multiple complaints, no action has been taken,” said Somendra Tripathi, a resident of Joyville.

The situation is dire, and residents are feeling the brunt of the negligence. The lack of urgency from authorities to address these issues is only exacerbating the risks to both health and safety, said other residents.

When asked about the delay, GMDA officials cited restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap), which was enforced to control air pollution, as the reason behind the slow progress. However, they assured that repairs are currently underway and will be completed soon.

Vikas Malik, Executive Engineer at GMDA, said, “The work has been awarded and is progressing. Due to GRAP, progress was slower than expected, but now it is being prioritized and will be completed at the earliest. GMDA has already awarded the repair work for several key roads, including the Sector 102/102A master road, to improve connectivity to the Dwarka Expressway.”