Hundreds of irked residents of Sushant Lok I, Gurgaon, will stage a protest against the district authorities on February 11 at Vyapar Kendra market, vowing to boycott the MCG elections to be held in March. Their pledge: No road, no vote.
The move was long overdue, say residents.
Despite regular complaints about the absence of streetlights and other basic amenities, such as lack of road repairs and overflowing sewers, the authorities did nothing but twiddle their thumbs for the past three years.
The agenda of the protest to be staged on February 11 at Vyapar Kendra market
According to the Haryana Apartment Owners Act 1984, the builder has to file a completion certificate within a stipulated time and hand over the residential colony to the MCG — which has not happened for Sushant Lok I thus far.
Work on road repairs was to commence from September 2016 but failed to take off, owing to the shuttling of the project among several civic agencies and confusion over the role of the MCG.
“We cannot even walk without tripping, and driving is extremely risky. Children cannot cycle on the badly damaged roads, and it’s a hell ride for motorists. We have met officials several times in the past, but we only come back with empty promises,” complained Sudhir Sachdeva, a resident.
Neelu Sharma, another resident, said, "We have been voting like fools for so many years, and what do we get — no roads, no water! Now the candidates will have to earn their votes. If our issues are not resolved, we’ll boycott the elections this year.”
A badly damaged road in Sushant Lok I
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar inaugurated a road repair project, budgeted at Rs 102 crore, in Sector 40 last week. In December 2016, he had directed the then commissioner of MCG to repair about 300 km of roads in the city and make them motorable by July 15, before the onset of the monsoons.
The MCG has confirmed that 31 roads under its jurisdiction and 34 under HUDA’s are to be repaired, and that funds have already been allocated. Amit Khatri, additional commissioner of the MCG, said, “This locality is yet to be taken over by the MCG. Once the necessary documentation is done, work will start. We are trying to expedite the process.”
