The shame old story: Choked drains and blocked roads

Heavy downpour in Gurgaon on Tuesday resulted in waterlogging at several places in the city. Major traffic snarls were witnessed at the Hero Honda Crossing on Gurgaon Expressway, MG Road and Sohna Road, near Epicenter and Sector 44.

Heavy downpour in Gurgaon on Tuesday resulted in waterlogging at several places in the city. Major traffic snarls were witnessed at the Hero Honda Crossing on Gurgaon Expressway, MG Road and Sohna Road, near Epicenter and Sector 44.

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Most office-goers reported late to work owing to huge jams. Residents blamed the administration for the chaos and said the situation would have been better if cleaning of drains and desilting work was initiated before onset of the monsoon.

Though the showers brought relief from the sultry weather, power cuts owing to Northern and Eastern Grid failure left residents in the lurch. The rains have once again exposed the tall claims of the civic agencies and revealed the lack of preparedness for the monsoon.

Atul Ranjan, who works in a bank in Delhi, said, “This is the story of every season. Despite tall claims by administration, water gets blocked every year.”

Jatin Mehra, another resident, said, “The administration should get the master drains cleaned. Everybody knows that monsoon hits the region in July and August but authorities wait for disaster to happen.”

Parveen Kumar, Huda administrator, said, “We spent 4-5 hours on roads today and identified various points where waterlogging occurs. We will get rain water harvesting pits constructed there. We have even issued instructions to all junior engineers to identify those spots and try to retain rain water.”