Sewage water floods NH even after 6-laning

Bijendra Ahlawat

Tribune News Service

Faridabad, December 29

The Rs 3,000-crore six-laning project of National Highway number 19 connecting Delhi and Agra is almost over but it has failed to address the problem of sewage water accumulation at a nearby village that continues to adversely affect commuters.

“Waterlogging due to sewage waste near Seekri village, 10 km from here, has become a persistent problem,” says Neeraj Chauhan, a commuter.

He said the majority of vehicles either get stranded temporarily or have to move at a very slow pace due to accumulation of more than a foot of water near Seekri village.

A local resident claimed that it has not happened for the first time this Sunday, but has been recurring for the past several months.

“The speed of vehicles gets reduced considerably. Many times, it results in acute traffic congestion at a stretch of 200m,” he said.

The construction of a flyover at Seekri village is yet to be completed. “Potholes dot the service lanes, especially on the 2.5-km stretch in Palwal city, testing the driving skills of motorists,” said Tarun Khutela of Palwal.

Blaming the authorities concerned, he said that the accumulation of water in and around the highway is risky and is not expected after the six-laning project at which commuters would have to pay toll tax soon.

While an official of the NHAI claimed that the maintenance work has been outsourced to Delhi Agra Toll Road (DATR) private company, a spokesperson of DATR said that all care has been taken to keep the highway free from waterlogging. The accumulation of water is due to the choking of the storm water drains and the problem of sewage outlet in Seekri village. “We have written to the civic authorities numerous times, but the problem is still to be addressed,” he said.

The highway is expected to be signal-free after the completion of 2.5 km-long elevated flyover at Palwal city, it is added.