South City 2 residents voice anger over damaged roads, no repair work

Senior citizens in the area even wrote to chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar last month, seeking urgent repair of the broken roads and an end to their commuting woes.

Driving in the South City 2 area is nothing short of a nightmare these days. The gaping potholes, which are often waterlogged, have put fear in the minds of the 50,000-odd residents of South City 2. The broken roads have made commuting a hazardous prospect, especially for pedestrians, cyclists and children.

Motorbikes often get stuck in these potholes and the residents even have trouble walking on these roads (Parveen Kumar/HT)

Senior citizens in the area even wrote to chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar last month, seeking urgent repair of the broken roads and an end to their commuting woes.

With their complaints falling on deaf ears and the roads breaking bad, the troubles faced by the South City 2 residents have only compounded over time. The residents said they had already been bearing the brunt of alleged inadequate supply of water and electricity to the area and the pitiable state of roads have made matters worse.

They said despite repeated complaints to the authorities about the damaged roads and their inconvenience has yielded no response till date.

“Motorbikes often get stuck in these potholes and the residents even have trouble walking on these roads,” Mamta Malik, a resident, said.

The roads are not only riddled with potholes, but parts of them have even caved in at some points. They are rendered still worse as the overflowing sewage settles in these potholes making commuters cringe every time they use them.

“We had written to the chief minister and the local MLA highlighting our plight, but this area continues to be neglected. We have been suffering and not one official has cared to visit us all this time and take note of our plight,” Rajeev Mall, another resident, said.

The road repair work was to start in September 2016, but failed to take off due to lack of clarity on how the task was to be assigned among the different civic authorities. There was even confusion over the nodal agency that was to oversee the repair work.

“Our children can’t ride bicycles on these roads and even the motorists are not safe. We met the additional deputy commissioner and other officials, but all we got were platitudes and false promises,” Surinder Dhankhar, the RWA president, said.

While South City 2 residents continue to suffer, chief minister Khattar inaugurated a Rs 102 crore road repair project in Sector 40 last week. In December 2016, he directed the then commissioner of MCG (Municipal Corporation of Gurugram) to mobilise repairs on 300 km of roads and make them motorable by July 15. But not much has happened on the ground, claimed residents.

Officials said as many as 31 roads under MCG’s jurisdiction and 34 under Huda are to be repaired and work has already begun.

Amit Khatri, additional commissioner, MCG, said, “The area is still not within the ambit of the MCG. Once the takeover is complete and we get the necessary documents, work will begin. We are working to fast-track the process.”