Concern For Gurgram Sector 17a Locals Flag Road Woes Infra Rot Red Tape

Residents of Sector 17A Defence Colony in Gurugram have raised concerns over multiple civic issues, including delayed sewerage work, deteriorating roads, illegal encroachments, irregular sanitation services and frequent power outages, prompting the residents’ welfare association to seek intervention from chief minister Nayab Singh Saini. In a letter to the chief minister, residents requested a time-bound resolution of the issues and urged authorities to ensure completion of dug-up manholes within the next three weeks, citing safety concerns and worsening road conditions ahead of the monsoon.

Residents said sewer pipeline laying work in Lane 1A has left roads dug up for months, resulting in potholes and difficult commuting conditions. According to the RWA, civic authorities had earlier indicated that the work would be completed within six weeks and that the excavated road would be recarpeted after completion of the project.

Rakesh Jinsi, president of Sector 17A RWA, said the deadline had long passed. “The roads are still dug up. The work was started on March 2 this year, and was supposed to be completed by April. However, for the past 1.5 months, the work has neither seen any progress,” he said.

A resident, requesting anonymity, said large potholes had developed on the stretch, creating safety hazards and damaging vehicles. “Last Sunday, after heavy rainfall, the roads became virtually unusable. The potholes were completely submerged, forming large puddles of water. The situation worsened to the extent that even a truck got stuck in one of the water-filled potholes,” the resident said.

Ameeta Dahiya, general secretary of Sector 17A RWA, questioned the planning and execution of the project. “Who is taking responsibility? Such works should be planned beforehand, and if not executed, the body must penalise the contractor,” she said.

However, Sumit Kandola, assistant engineer (AE) at MCG, disputed residents’ claim regarding the timeline. “It is a one-year agreement, and the work will be completed by January 2027. It is a ₹5.5 crore project which includes laying of sewer pipelines and recarpeting of roads,” he said.

Kandola added that work on three of the 19 manholes remains pending and is expected to be completed this week. “The road will be recarpeted before monsoon so that residents don’t face any issue,” he said.

Residents also alleged widespread illegal encroachments in the sector, claiming that generators installed on roads and footpaths by some households have obstructed pedestrian and vehicular movement. Locals also alleged that green belts have been encroached upon and are being used for waste dumping. “Despite several letters and urging officials to get the encroachments cleared, no action has been taken yet,” said Jinsi.

Ward councillor Anoop Singh said an anti-encroachment drive would be carried out soon. He said action would be taken against unauthorised structures and encroachments, including ramps constructed over drains and portions of public roads.

Residents also flagged irregular road sweeping and a shortage of sanitation workers.

Dahiya said only two or three workers report for duty despite six being designated for the sector. “We are supposed to have six sanitation workers deployed for road sweeping in the sector. However, only two or three workers turn up at a time, and even then the cleaning is often inadequate,” she said.

Ravinder Yadav, additional MCG commissioner, said a new five-year road sweeping tender is in place.

“This time we have added our demand of required manpower in the tender as well. This will help in streamlining the number of workers in every sector as per requirement on the basis of how big the sector is,” Yadav told HT.

Residents further complained of frequent power outages, particularly at night, saying disruptions have increased since May and often last for several hours during periods of high demand and adverse weather.

Dahiya alleged that complaints frequently go unresolved. “Whenever we raise complaints, we are given excuses that it is night-time and there is no one available to resolve the issue. It is a sad state of affairs,” she told HT.

“Power supply to Sector 17A and adjoining areas is sourced from the 220kV substation in Sector 15 and the 66kV substation at Mehrauli. While there are no records of prolonged outages in the sector, localised faults in the distribution network can occasionally disrupt supply. We will verify the residents’ complaints with our field teams and take necessary action if any faults are found,” said a senior Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) official, requesting anonymity.