Gurugram Pace City-1 industrial area exposes seamier side of progress

As you look up, hundreds of shiny boards and flexboards of small-scale industries in Pace City-1, Sector 37, Gurugram, reflect industrial growth. However, at the same time, this image of development disappoints you when you look down on the roads. The roads greet you with dirty stagnant water, potholes, garbage and filthy smell.

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‘Making own arrangements’

Most of the time, we make arrangements at our own level to clean sewer lines and lift garbage and other waste. — KK Gandhi, president , Industries Association of Sector 37

‘Industries have constructed chambers’

The main problem is that some industries have constructed their own chambers to discharge water into the stormwater drains, which has choked the lines. The MC should break these chambers and ask the industries to use the chambers constructed by the civic body to discharge their water. — Ashwani Sharma, Former councillor

The situation is the worst during monsoons. Employees and workers can be seen walking through dirty and filthy water to reach their destination. With over 200 industries situated on the road, daily commuters struggle to make their way to work.

Ajay Yadav, who works in a garment manufacturing company, said, “I have been working in the area for over three years and the road has only got worse.” The situation is quite bad for pedestrians and those commuting on two-wheelers.

“When it is raining, I cannot even see what is in front of me. Is it a stretch of the road, a crater or a pothole?” Rohit Sharma, a daily commuter said.

Office-goers alleged that they face worse dangers such as dirty water filling up the roads with overflowing sewers. Auto-rickshaws and cabs also refuse to come to this area during this time.

This pathetic situation has been prevailing for the several years, but neither the district administration nor the municipal corporation authorities have resolved these problems despite repeated requests by the managements of the industries.

The situation of the first three internal roads adjoining the Hero Honda Chowk from the underpass side is worst with craters, potholes and protruding manholes, sludge, stagnant water and garbage lying all around on the roads.

When this correspondent visited the area, dirty water was coming out of a sewerage manhole outside a small residential colony. Local residents, mostly labourers, alleged that the MC authorities had not cleaned the area despite several complaints in the past two months.

Just a few yards from the leaking sewage manhole, dirty black chemical-contaminated water was constantly flowing out from a thread-making industry, giving out a foul smell in the area.

KK Gandhi, president of the Industries Association of Sector 37, said they had requested the MCG authorities to make arrangements for regular cleaning of the industrial area, but the authorities concerned had turned a blind eye to their problems. “Most of the time, we make arrangements at our own level to clean sewer lines and lift garbage and other waste,” he said.

Ashwani Sharma, former councillor of the area (Ward Number 23), said he visited the industrial area at regular intervals and pressed upon the MC authorities to clean the area. “But the main problem is that some industries have constructed their own chambers to discharge water into the stormwater drains, which has choked the lines. The MC should break these chambers and ask the industries to use the chambers constructed by the civic body to discharge their water,” he said.

Akhilesh Kumar Yadav, Joint Commissioner of the MCG, said he would ask the sanitary inspector concerned to visit the area to get the roads and sewage lines cleaned and also get garbage and other waste piled up on the roadsides lifted.