Gurugram: Disputed land being remeasured to clear hurdle in drain project

While a 6km portion of the drain, from Sector 56 to a part of Sector 43, has been completed, work on the remaining 2km portion, from Regency Park 1 to Chakkarpur village, is stalled following a dispute over the 1,750-square yard plot.

In the hope of finding a piece of municipal land behind Regency Park 1 in Sector 43 for the construction of a portion of an 8km long stormwater drain, officials of the Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) have started measuring the 1,750 square yards in the area afresh. In the absence of a pipeline to discharge the rain run-off, sectors 27 and 28 get flooded extensively in the event of showers.

Gurgaon Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) office. The latest proposal by the GMDA to acquire the land for the drain project at ₹1.5 crore, had been rejected by the landowners. (Parveen Kumar /HT File Photo)

While a 6km portion of the drain, from Sector 56 to a part of Sector 43, has been completed, work on the remaining 2km portion, from Regency Park 1 to Chakkarpur village, is stalled following a dispute over the 1,750-square yard plot. As a result, the two sectors literally go under water whenever it rains.

HSVP officials said they directed the patwari (accountant) on Tuesday to measure the land afresh in the hope of resolving the dispute and finding enough space to complete the remain portion of the drain.

As many as 14 landowners have staked claim to the disputed land and HSVP officials said that negotiations are currently under way to arrive at a settlement.

“HSVP is working on several strategies to overcome this hurdle. Now, officials have been directed to measure 1,750 square yards behind Regency Park 1 afresh. If any alternative municipal land is found at or near the site, and acquisition hurdles, if any, are cleared, then this land could enable us to alter the route of the stormwater drain and lay pipes to ensure that the project is completed,” Chandra Shekhar Khare, administrator, HSVP, said.

HT, on Thursday, reported that the latest proposal by the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), to acquire the land at ₹1.5 crore, had been rejected by the landowners.

Once the acquisition hurdle is cleared and the drain is constructed by the HSVP, the project will be handed over to the GMDA.

In June, HSVP officials wrote to the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG), seeking its assistance in acquiring the land. The MCG issued acquisition notices to owners of the land on July 7. However, the landowners moved the district court, challenging the acquisition notice. The matter is still in court.

With the drain still a work in progress, low-lying areas in sectors 27 and 28 are flooded in the event of rain and residents are largely confined indoors.

On June 19, residents of the two sectors staged a protest outside the Mini-Secretariat, demanding that the authorities take immediate action to put an end to the waterlogging mess. They even handed a memorandum, addressed to chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, to officials of the district administration.