Gurgaon: Residents of sectors 68 to 75 are unlikely to see relief from chronic waterlogging this monsoon, with the GMDA set to miss its Aug deadline for a key drainage project in the area. The slow pace has prompted GMDA to impose a penalty of Rs 5 crore on the contractor.Conceived in 2022, the project was aimed at plugging critical gaps in drainage infrastructure across these newly developed sectors along the Southern Peripheral Road (SPR). The project involves laying a 17.6-km stormwater drainage network across sectors 68 to 75 at a cost of Rs 51 crore.Though it received financial approval in July 2024 with a completion target of Aug this year, only about 20% of the work has been done so far.“We have imposed a penalty of Rs 5 crore on the agency for slow execution and directed it to expedite the work,” a GMDA official said.The project entails construction of RCC box-type drains of varying sizes to channel rainwater from sectors 68 to 75A into a master drain being developed along the SPR, from Vatika Chowk to NH-48. The system will ultimately flow into the Badshapur (Leg-III) drain.Residents and commuters have long struggled with waterlogging in the area, particularly at Darbaripur Road and Tulip Chowk, which are inundated during heavy rain. With key projects behind schedule, residents may have to brace for yet another monsoon marked by flooded roads and disrupted commutes.“The drainage work has been going on at a snail’s pace. With the monsoon approaching, we are certain waterlogging will worsen in this area, leading to severe traffic congestion and chaos just like every year,” Ajay Sharma, a resident of Tulip Ivory, said.Even as the internal network lags, the metropolitan authority is banking on partial relief from the ongoing construction of a master drain along SPR, known as the Leg-IV drain. The 5-km stretch between Vatika Chowk and NH-48, passing through sectors 69, 70, 75 and 75A, is targeted for completion by June.“Most of the work is completed and only two drainage crossings are left, including at Genpact and Tulip junction. Work on the Sector 75-75A crossing is ongoing, and we are aiming to complete it before the monsoon,” the GMDA official said.The Rs 105-crore Leg-IV project, which will benefit sectors 68 to 80, is expected to reduce the load on the existing Badshapur (Leg-III) drain, a key outfall that often overflows during the monsoon, flooding low-lying stretches of the SPR.This project too, has seen delays. Though it received administrative approval in 2019, it remained stuck in planning and coordination stages for nearly three years. Physical work began only in April 2023 and missed its original Oct 2024 deadline. Officials attributed early delays to factors such as monsoon disruptions, construction bans during winter months due to air pollution, and delayed permission for hillock removal and high-tension power tower.At present, Gurgaon’s stormwater is channeled through three major master drains — Sikanderpur (Leg-I), Sector 42 (Leg-II) and Badshapur (Leg-III) — all leading to the Najafgarh drain.
