Mercedes breaks down on waterlogged road in Ghaziabad: Owner seeks Rs 5 lakh damage from civic body
Ghaziabad municipal commissioner
, demanding ₹5 lakh as compensation after his vehicle broke down on a waterlogged road in Sahibabad during
heavy rainfall
on the morning of July 23. The car, a Mercedes GLA 200D, was reportedly stranded for nearly two hours in knee-deep water in Lajpat Nagar before it had to be towed, a TOI report stated.
Car breakdown and repair estimate
Amit Kishore, a resident of Sector 11 in Vasundhara, said he purchased the vehicle for ₹60 lakh in 2018. He claimed the car was functioning properly until it developed a mechanical fault due to
waterlogging
on the way home around noon that day.
"It just wouldn't start again. I had to arrange a crane to take it to a service centre in Noida, which has said that the repair would cost an estimated ₹5 lakh," Kishore told TOI.
Legal notice to municipal corporation
The legal notice, served to the Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation through Kishore's lawyer, held the civic body accountable for not maintaining the drainage system.
"Your failure to fulfil your statutory duties under the Municipal Corporation Act, Public Health Acts, and Environmental Protection Laws, as well as your breach of duty of care owed to the residents, makes you liable for financial, physical, and mental damages caused to my client and others similarly affected," the notice read.
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The notice also stated that legal proceedings would be initiated if no action is taken within 15 days.
Municipal commissioner responds
Municipal commissioner Vikramaditya Malik said the claim must be substantiated with evidence.
"If the waterlogging caused his vehicle to break down, why didn't the same happen to other vehicles parked on the same street? On July 23, there was excessive rainfall, and IMD issued alerts as well. It led to waterlogging across NCR, but there were no other reports of vehicle breakdowns caused solely by it," Malik told TOI.
Local residents support claim
Residents of Sahibabad and nearby trans-Hindon areas said waterlogging has been a recurring issue due to clogged drains and poor maintenance.
"Waterlogging is a major problem in trans-Hindon areas, especially Indirapuram, Vaishali, and Vasundhara. Waterlogging persists in these areas due to encroached, clogged drains and delayed, ineffective cleaning by the municipal corporation. The sanitation staffers simply leave sludge along the roadside until rains wash it back in," said Roy Tapan Bharti, a resident of Vasundhara's Sector 16 for 30 years.
The municipal body has not yet issued an official written response to the legal notice.
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'They know their reality': Asim Munir trolled over 'India is a Mercedes, Pakistan a dump truck' analogy
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First Post
5 hours ago
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A question for Munir: Why India became ‘Mercedes' and Pakistan a ‘dump truck'?
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6 hours ago
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