After rain, Gurugram's new challenge — thousands of potholes

While water has receded in Gurugram, it now battles with around 3,000 potholes and muck-filled spots across the city. Flooded with complaints, the MCG (Municipal Corporation of Gurugram), MCM and Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) are all out on the roads to repair them.

“It is an annual story. First we face waterlogging, and when the water is drained, we have roads with craters. The agencies go for quick-fix treatment, and within a month or two, it is back to square one. We wait for months to get proper roads. Visit any road in New Gurugram or the periphery of Dwarka Expressway, and you can see the situation,” said Praveen Malik, president of the United Association of New Gurugram.

When the municipal corporation conducted a survey of the city roads recently, it recorded over 2,000 potholes in its eight zones. These include roads that are under GMDA. So far, 387 potholes have been filled by the MC, while the deadline to repair the other potholes is September 30. According to the survey, the maximum number of potholes — 600 — are in Division-2B, while the least number — 80 — are in Division-3B.

“The rains have been unprecedented and have severely damaged the roads. We have ordered permanent repairs. We will ensure that no repaired road falls apart, and if it does, we will penalise not just the contractor but the entire inspection team and the zone incharge,” said MCG Commissioner Pradeep Dahiya.

The GMDA said it has received around 200 complaints and has intensified efforts to repair potholes and carry out patchwork across the master roads of the city. A senior official stated that the measures were being implemented to maintain the motorable condition of the roads and facilitate movement of traffic across key stretches.

As the weather conditions improve, bituminous works are also being taken up along the dry road stretches to provide a durable solution and further upgrade the road infrastructure.