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Time of India
10 hours ago
- General
- Time of India
High-tension tower, hillock: Why Gurgaon's new sectors could be flooded this year too
Gurgaon: It's the same cycle every year. "We dread the rains." That is how Jaswant Rao, RWA president of Astaire Garden, sums up the situation revolving around the long-delayed leg-IV. Six years after it got the administrative approval, Leg-IV — planned to ease flooding in new sectors — has hit a wall, quite literally. A 100-metre hillock stands in the way of connecting the drain, while a high-tension power tower in Sector 70 is yet to be relocated. Both obstacles have brought the construction to a crawl, which is already running behind schedule. The drain, once completed, will stretch 5.2km from Vatika Chowk to NH8 and is expected to offload nearly 50% of the burden on the Badshapur drain — the city's main stormwater channel — while benefiting sectors 68 to 80. But its progress was slow from the beginning, and now with these two obstructions, residents are concerned as the monsoon is just days away from lashing the city. A senior GMDA official said, "A hillock near Sector 75 is coming in the drain alignment. We initiated the dismantling process in April this year for which tendering is underway. Similarly, we have written to HVPNL to shift the high-tension tower in Sector 70. The matter is being followed up." GMDA is aiming to complete the project by the end of this year, he said. The drain passes through new sectors, including sectors 69, 70, 75 and 75A, which have seen extensive residential and commercial development over the years but remain vulnerable to waterlogging due to inadequate drainage. Jaswant Rao says, "Now that the monsoon is around the corner, the work will get hampered again. We dread the rains because we are the worst sufferers — our society (Astaire Garden) is low-rise and not just the roads but even our basement gets flooded during heavy downpours. We have been waiting for proper drainage connectivity for the past eight years." The Rs 105-crore project got administrative approval in May 2019, but it remained stuck in planning and coordination stages for nearly three years. Tendering finally began in 2022 and physical work started only in April 2023 with the original deadline of Oct 2024. Earlier, GMDA attributed the initial delays to external constraints such as the monsoon and the annual construction ban imposed from Nov to Jan due to air pollution norms. Ajay Sharma, a resident of Tulip Ivory in Sector 70, said flooding during pre-monsoon showers this month was a wake-up call. "Waterlogging was seen not only on SPR but also on sector roads. Tulip Chowk was submerged last week," Sharma said. "This project has already taken too long — how much more time do they need? It's becoming increasingly problematic," Sharma asked. With only 50% of work completed more than two years after construction began, residents worry that the city's response is reactive rather than preventive. Many argue that key infrastructure like drainage should have been in place before granting large-scale residential licences in the area. Last month, a portion of SPR caved in after heavy rainfall, compounded by ongoing excavation work for the drainage project.
Time of India
26-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Taps run dry, tankers take over, tempers rise in Gurgaon's BPTP Astaire Gardens
Gurgaon: Hundreds of families living in BPTP Astaire Gardens have been reeling under an acute water crisis for weeks, with no let-up in sight yet. The supply from GMDA has been erratic and inadequate, forcing 700 families of the residential society in Sector 70A to depend heavily on private tankers. Residents estimate they have spent nearly Rs 3 lakh on private water tankers this month alone. Despite multiple complaints to GMDA on May 3, 10 and 22, no tangible action has followed. Earlier, GMDA cited "pipeline damage", but residents say there has been no clear explanation or accountability since. "We're spending from our own pockets for a basic necessity that the govt is supposed to provide us," Astaire Gardens RWA president Jaswant Rao said. On Monday, a delegation met deputy commissioner Ajay Kumar and submitted a formal complaint, demanding immediate restoration of supply and a long-term plan to prevent recurrence. "This is mentally and financially exhausting," RWA general secretary Aruni Shukla said. "We pay taxes and water charges, yet we're left scrambling for tankers every day just to maintain basic hygiene." With summer pushing daily demand to nearly 8 lakh litres, the shortfall has been severe. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Zumbido e perda de audição? Médico revela técnica caseira de 1 real para aliviar! Zumbido no ouvido Undo Residents say GMDA's supply has declined steadily since mid-May — hitting zero on May 22. "Not a single drop came that day. We had to survived on stored water and extreme rationing," said Rao. GMDA officials admitted a shortfall. A senior GMDA official said Sector 70A currently receives water via the Sector 51 boosting station. A new boosting station in Sector 72 is under construction and is expected to be operational by year-end. Officials also said water output at the Chandu Budhera plant has been augmented by 50 MLD to ease the pressure, but residents argue these long-term measures offer only little relief for their ongoing distress.
Time of India
08-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
700 families in Gurgaon's in Sector 70A left without water for 3 days as pipeline damage hits supply
Gurgaon: Nearly 700 families in BPTP Astaire Gardens in Sector 70A were left without water supply for the past three days after a pipeline was damaged during an excavation to residents, the crisis began on May 3, when the water supply to the colony fell to 1.5 lakh litres per day, far short of the required 6 lakh litres. From Tuesday onwards, however, not a drop has been supplied to the colony. Moreover, all complaints to GMDA in this regard fell on deaf ears, residents said."The authority, which initially did not take responsibility for the cut in supply, admitted to one of their pipelines being damaged due to an ongoing excavation work when the situation worsened," said Jaswant Rao, RWA president of BPTP Astaire the storage reservoir in the society running dry, the residents resorted to hiring water tankers — an expense that had already cost them over Rs 2 lakh in total this month. "There is a very high demand for water tankers. We had to plead with the tanker operator to send water to our society. How are our families supposed to survive like this?" said Shukla, general secretary, RWA, said, "It takes a full-blown crisis for the authorities to act. It is unacceptable that we have to go without water for days."Meanwhile, even as GMDA maintained that the pipeline was damaged only on May 7, teams deployed to repair it on Thursday and the water supply to the colony restored at 1.30pm, residents said the supply resumed only for five minutes around 4.45pm."There was damage in the water supply pipeline near Sector 70A by the agency engaged for construction of a drain at 2pm on May 7. However, it came to our knowledge only at 7am on Thursday. We immediately mobilised our team and rectified the fault. The water supply has resumed, and supply will be normal by evening," a senior GMDA official said.
