Drains remain unclean, overflow despite allocation of crores of rupees for maintenance - Hindustan Times
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Drains remain unclean, overflow despite allocation of crores of rupees for maintenance

Feb 25, 2020 08:50 PM IST

Gurugram: Many stormwater drains in the city have remained unclean and choked, resulting in continuous overflow in different areas over the past few months. Surprisingly, most of the drains have not been cleaned in the current financial year despite the Haryana government allocating crores of rupees for their annual maintenance.

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The maintenance mainly includes periodical cleaning or de-silting of drains and repair of damaged portion, if any.

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A 300-metre portion of sector road near Paras Trinity Chowk had been witnessing continuous overflow from drains for more than three months. After several complaints and media reports, the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) swung into action early this month, and cleaned the drain and repaired the damaged portion.

In December last year, Golf Course Road witnessed massive overflow as stormwater drains here were found choked completely. The overflow remained for two days, causing traffic problem.

Similarly, a continuous overflow of drains at Sector 111, where Bajghera road and Dwarka expressway make a crossing, has made deep potholes, and it has been happening for the past several months. Besides, flooding of the Delhi-Gurgaon expressway near Hero Honda Chowk has been an annual problem during rainy season.

The city’s stormwater drains along 30-metre and above roads are in the jurisdiction of the GMDA since September 2018. Prior to that, the drains were with the Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP), which, after the inception of the GMDA in August 2017, transferred all the master services to the new government agency for development, augmentation and annual maintenance.

For the two financial years, 2018-19 and 2019-20, the Haryana government allocated 24 crore and 10 crore to the GMDA for annual maintenance of drains. However, in 2018-19, the GMDA spent only 3.5 crore on drains, according to the authority’s budget report, a copy of which is with HT.

Lalit Arora, GMDA chief engineer, said, “We took over master services, including drains, about one-and-a-half years ago and since then we have been doing well and have controlled overflowing by regular cleaning. Overflowing near Paras Trinity Chowk was due to level difference that we rectified. We have taken all action to ensure stormwater drains work properly. We are to submit all our action taken report of financial year 2019-20 in our next budget.”

In the city, there are three natural drains known in the official records as Leg 1, Leg 2 and Leg 3 (Leg 3 is popularly known as Badshahpur drain). Besides, the authority has built stormwater drains along master roads (30 metres wide and above) in the city. The purpose of natural and authority-made drains is to carry seasonal rainwater and use that water to recharge groundwater at different places. The three natural drains lead to Najafgarh drain.

City residents said the authority should regularly clean up the stormwater drains, essentially before rainy season, and keep a check on illegal disposal of sewage into drains.

“Old Delhi road near Kapashera border remains over flooded during rainy season because stormwater drains and sewer lines both are faulty here,” said Aseem Takyar, a resident of Sector 23 A, adding that the government in the name of annual maintenance has been spending good amount but ground reality is different and unsatisfactory.

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Dhananjay Jha writes on development authorities, transport, industries, power and other developmental issues in Gurgaon. A journalist for over a decade, he has worked in Delhi and in HT’s Noida bureau.

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