Gurgaon’s Palam Vihar fares poorly in deficiency assessment report

Report states community centres in Palam Vihar have turned into clubs and there is lack of an effective solid waste disposal system

The deficiency assessment report, a precursor to the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) taking over maintenance responsibilities of private colonies, compiled by a private consultant for Palam Vihar highlights major inadequacies in basic civic facilities in the Ansal-built colony.

Roads are in a shambles in Palam Vihar. (Parveen Kumar/HT PHOTO)

These include a heavily-silted drainage system, improper roads, and gaps in the sewage system outflow.

Palam Vihar was one of the first private built colonies in the city — it was built in the 1980s — and spreads over an area of 630 acres.

It is one of the nine private colonies that are to be taken over by the MCG in accordance with a directive from chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

The assessment report compiled by the consultant, at the behest of the MCG, has found that roads in the colony have not been repaired for the last eight years and only patchwork has been carried out during this time. Further, these roads are extremely narrow and do not have space for setting up parking facilities.

One of the other major issues highlighted by the report pertains to the sewage system. The report said the drainage network is heavily silted resulting in internal drains becoming clogged and open drains functioning at 50% of its capacity. The report further said sewage pipelines are not connected to the major sewage system and, hence, the outflow remains erratic.

The report also points out that community centres are functioning as clubs and there is no solid waste treatment plant in the locality.

MCG officials said the report has been uploaded on their website and is in the public domain. Residents’ welfare associations (RWA) and the developer (Ansal) have been given 15 days to reply to the assessment report.

“After the RWA and the developer submit their objections on the deficiency assessment report, the same will be forwarded to the consultant for evaluation. We are also contemplating having a one-on-one meeting with them (RWA and builder) and hearing their objections,” MCG Commissioner V Umashankar said.

He said after the final report is compiled, Ansal officials will be given an option to either transfer the maintenance responsibility to the MCG and pay a compensatory amount in return for the MCG fixing the deficiencies or instead fix the inadequacies themselves within six months.

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“We will send our reply to MCG within the stipulated time given by MCG,” a spokesperson of Ansal said.

So far, the deficiency assessment reports of Palam Vihar, Suncity, and Sushant Lok Phase-1 have been compiled. Reports on DLF phases 1, 2 and 3, South City 1 and 2, and Ardee City are awaited.