Stray cattle, water woes plague Gurugram’s Ward 15
The residents of Ward 15 suffers from damaged road and stray cattle menace which has left several people or commuters injured.
Residents of Ward 15, which includes New Colony, sector 4 and 7, Sector 7 Extension, Krishna Colony, and Cancon Enclave, are miffed with a slew of civic issues including badly damaged roads, stray cattle, traffic snarls, unstable and infrequent water supply, clogged sewer network, frequent power outages and poor sanitation. These problems have persisted for years, leaving residents frustrated and vulnerable to accidents, residents alleged.
Stray cattle menace
The stray cattle menace is particularly severe in New Colony and Sector 7, where dairy farm owners from neighbouring areas set their cows loose after milking them in the morning, residents claimed. They added that often 20-30 cows can be seen on the roads by such farms.
While these herds enter New Colony from the roads, they enter Sector 7 via a broken peripheral wall, locals alleged. During evenings, the herds are made to return towards their respective farms, which often ends up affecting commuters and pedestrians. The stray cows at times have been known to charge at pedestrians or commuters, injuring them in the process, residents claimed.
Gaurav Sharma, a New Colony resident, said the cattle roam the streets, eating from garbage and causing frequent accidents. Several individuals have also been injured or escaped with minor bruises after being hit by the cattle, he added.
“The nearby areas of Shiv Puri and Krishna Colony have many dairy farms from where these cattle arrive. The reason behind setting them free is because they eat from the garbage. Residents also feed them with chapatis and other items due to religious sentiment,” Sharma added. However, some cattle owners often exploit this and rely on the cows eating garbage or food from residents, which is why they set them free during the day to save on hay and feed costs, he said.
“Several people have been injured after being hit by the cattle,” Sharma said, adding that residents’ complaints to MCG have gone unaddressed.
Meanwhile, Rakesh Sharma, another resident, said that residents’ complaints to the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram have gone unaddressed. “Several elderly residents have sustained injuries after being hit by these stray cattle,” he added.
Water supply crisis
Water supply issues have plagued sectors 4 and 7 due to poor pressure and damaged pipelines. Prem Kumar Sharma of Sector-7 mentioned that their electric wire for the boosting station pump burnt two months ago, yet no action has been taken by MCG despite multiple complaints. “The water supply valve in Sector 4 is often shut down without notice, making us suffer,” he alleged.
Meanwhile, the urban estate residents’ welfare association for Sector 4 and 7 president Manoj Bhardwaj noted that the area was developed about 50 years ago and the population was very less back then. “Today, families living near the end of the supply pipeline get very poor pressure in the water supply. The old pipes are damaged and leak in several places. We need a new pipeline and additional boosting stations for proper water pressure,” he added.
Damaged roads and traffic chaos
The condition of roads in New Colony, Sectors 4 and 7 has worsened, causing frequent accidents, claimed residents. “An e-rickshaw toppled into a pothole near Chiranjivi Hospital, injuring three passengers,” said Navin Bagga, a New Colony resident, adding that it is a common occurrence for them. “The roads built of concrete are okay at present but the ones which are old were never repaired by authorities,” he said. Bagga also said that he and a few other residents have funded repairs of multiple roads near Chiranjivi Hospital in the last one year.
Residents also highlighted severe traffic snarls, particularly during office hours, which have been a major problem for years. However, the MCG has not taken any actions yet, they added. “Traffic from Old Railway Road and Madanpuri Road, Gurudwara Road enters and leaves the area, but the roads were built several decades back and cannot accommodate the traffic flow now. Commuters, buses with students, often get stuck in the traffic in the afternoon, which makes them suffer,” said Prayank Kumar, another resident of New Colony.
Meanwhile, Manoj Bhardwaj echoed the same and added that authorities are yet to take any action to divert traffic and alleviate snarls. “The main road connecting sectors 9 to 7 to ESIC hospital mostly has heavy traffic jams. The condition during office hours is worst as at least 20-30 minutes is consumed in moving just a few hundred metres,” he added.
Additionally, residents claimed that there are several non-functional electric poles, which have been uprooted and left along the connecting road for sectors 4 and 7 for the last two years. These poles lay piled up, taking up a portion of unnecessary space on the roads, as electric lines were placed underground under the Smart Grid Project by Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited in 2018. According to locals, the poles have not been removed despite complaints to discoms.
Clogged sewers and poor sanitation
Ward 14 residents also face clogged sewers and poor sanitation, which have turned many areas into health hazards, locals alleged. Roads in Sector 7, Krishna Colony, and Sector 7 Extension are overflowing with sewage water, forcing commuters to wade through polluted water. The Dussehra ground in New Colony often gets completely waterlogged with sewer water, turning it into a mosquito breeding ground, claimed residents.
According to residents, in sectors 4 and 7, manhole covers are either broken or have not been replaced for a long time. They added that the grills of several stormwater drains are broken, leading to leaves and debris getting trapped and blocking the network. Often, vehicles also get stuck going over these manholes when the roads are inundated, they claimed.
Residents have repeatedly complained to MCG, but sanitation workers often clean sewers manually without proper cleaning equipment, leading to frequent re-clogging. Pankaj Sharma, a Sector 7 resident, criticised MCG’s lack of proper machinery use. “Due to clogging of the sewer and stormwater drainage system, water enters our houses with heavy rainfall,” he added.
Seema Pahuja, the former ward councillor, said all developmental works were stopped after their tenure ended. “The bigger contractors hired by MCG pay the smaller ones, and often either do not employ proper workforce to clean clogged sewers,” Pahuja added.
In response, to the grievances, MCG Commissioner Narhari Singh Bangar said efforts are being made to address cleanliness and waste collection in the municipal area. “We are using all sorts of cleanliness measures to collect waste from homes, streets, alleys, vacant plots, and other public spaces. We will investigate the issues of the ward especially the water supply and clogged sewer and will get them resolved soon,” he added.