#Gurugram : #Gurgaon was renamed as ‘Gurugram’ but the name change has hardly fixed the problems of poorly maintained roads and drainage.
After the newly imposed identity was given to the city of flamboyant malls and corporate culture, the image makeover from Gurgaon to Gurugram has not really changed fortunes of the people for the better. The monsoon season has barely begun and already commuters are having to wade through water-logged roads and deal with pot-holes everywhere. And traffic jams? Like toxic air, they too are a constant presence.
Gurgaon was renamed as ‘Gurugram’ to reflect the city’s mythological origin but seemingly, for the citizens there, the name change has hardly fixed the problems of poorly maintained roads and drainage.
With invisible potholes covered with rainwater, the commuters on the city roads faced a massive challenge on Wednesday morning as they made their way through slow traffic and road blocks.
“We agree that there are many problems at present but we continuously keep on de-silting drains. During rains, it gets difficult to maintain proper drainage as it requires manual labour plus the manholes are deep,” said A K Makkan, Senior Engineer-II at Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA).
He also said, the roads clear out on their own within one to two days time and low-lying areas like sector 56 and sector 10 take time and that’s why the roads get water-logged.
“If the water stagnation continues, we look into the matter and see what can be done,” he added.
The IT-hub is famous for its mammoth MNC headquarters, with big domestic corporate players having a global clientele. The name change might be an insignificant one but the civic problems that continue to hinder the lives of its residents are a constant reminder of woes that everyone who comes there faces on a daily basis.
A daily commuter in the city, Braham Prakash said, “I had to wait for one and a half hours to reach office that is five minutes away from home. My bike tires were completely submerged in water and there was no official to take care of the water-logged roads.”
What the name change means for the average frustrated commuter is summed up by a fuming Charanjeet Singh, who had quite a harrowing time on the road, when he said that instead of focusing on changing the name of the city, government should focus on improving the infrastructure and other facilities.
Bureau Report
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