Gurgaon: Khandsa residents refuse to vacate land for drain-widening

Huda said the widening of the drain is essential to avoid waterlogging at Hero Honda Chowk

In a strong message to the administration, a group of residents whose plots with built-up houses have been proposed to be acquired for widening of the city’s main drain at Khandsa have refused to vacate their premises.

In the first phase, as many as 35 houses have been identified by the Haryana urban development authority (Huda) for demolition in a bid to widen the left side of the Khandsa drain. (Parveen Kumar/HT PHOTO)

On a visit to the area on Thursday, HT found that the Huda will have to demolish nearly 100 fully built, three-four storey buildings on both sides for widening the drain. Such scale of demolition would require heavy machinery and manpower and worse, the demolition could also damage several other adjoining buildings.

The residents alleged that demolition, on such a massive scale, just for widening of the drain, is the administration’s ploy at the behest of some politicians to displace residents in a bid to cater to the interests of some influential people.

In the first phase, as many as 35 houses have been identified by the Haryana urban development authority (Huda) for demolition in a bid to widen the left side of the drain.

The widening will happen across 600 metres, starting from the NH-8 to the other end of the village. Huda’s plan is to remove structures on the left side to widen the drain and do the same on the other side later.

“We have been opposing the plan since August last year when Huda and officials of Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) visited this place. We reminded the officials of an old and different route through vacant areas, which could be used for the widening project. But the officials kept ignoring our plea. We have not accepted the plot allotment letter till date from the Huda and will never,” Rajkumar Fauji, a resident, said.

Read I Gurgaon: For Badshahpur drain expansion, Huda offers land free of cost

Fauji led the affected residents to all the top officials of the Haryana government after sensing an urgency by the Huda to widen the drain to avoid a recurrence of last year’s massive waterlogging at Hero Honda Chowk.

Rambir Singh, another resident, said, “I built a three-storey building on 625 square yard seven years ago. Now, the Huda is offering us alternative plots at Sector 37-C. However, it is a bushy area with no roads and infrastructure. It is also located far away from the city. We can’t allow our homes to be demolished and plots acquired to serve the interests of some influential people.”

The 40 km-long Badshahpur drain is known as Khandsa drain in this village as it‘s width narrows to 10 metres here. Overflowing of the drain along the Khandsa stretch led to massive waterlogging in July and August last year.

Joginder Singh, a resident, said, “Regular cleaning or de-silting of drain is the best way to avoid waterlogging. However, civic officials never show up to clean the drain. It remains choked. Now, in a bid to hide its negligence and desperate to avoid waterlogging this year, the local administration is pushing ahead with the widening plan without factoring in the consequences.”

Haryana chief secretary DS Dhesi had expressed dissatisfaction over the progress of work on Khandsa drain while holding a review meeting in Gurgaon a week ago.

Hardeep Singh, deputy commissioner, Gurgaon said, “We are in touch with locals in order to get them to vacate their lands for drain widening work. We are ready to cooperate with them. Widening the drain is essential to reduce waterlogging at Hero Honda Chowk.”