Pond that CM promised to revive turns into sewage pit, clogs roads

GURUGRAM: Saraswati Kunj, the pond in Sector 53 that chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar recently promised to restore and rejuvenate, has turned into a dumping ground for sewage waste coming from condominiums and commercial buildings in the surrounding area.
According to residents of Saraswati Kunj, highrises, which include both residential and commercial buildings, have been releasing their sewage waste into the pond.

Recently, the level of dirty water has risen and reached up to 4-5 ft.

“Last week, the level of water rose by almost 4-5 ft, and it started flooding our houses. Eventually, the water started collecting in the lanes of our colonies, creating an eyesore and a health hazard,” said Praveen, RWA secretary of Saraswati Kunj.

As a result, few days ago, residents wrote to the chief minister, following which they approached deputy commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh.

On Tuesday, they met MCG joint commissioner Y S Gupta with their concerns. “Our issue was handed over to a junior engineer, who visited the site and assured us of action against dumping of sewage waste in the water body,” said Kalyan Singh Sandhu, RWA president of Saraswati Kunj.

He alleged that it is posh condominiums on Golf Course Road that are dumping their sewage waste into the water body, instead of installing and using sewage treatment plants to treat it.

“We’ve filed many complaints in this regard, but there hasn’t been any reaction yet. We suspect this is because there are big developers involved in this matter,” said Sandhu.

Around four months ago, chief minister Khattar had visited the pond on one of his Gurugram trips. He had then announced the pond would be rejuvenated. The project was proposed under Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), which is currently conducting a feasibility study for it, said sources.

“The CM had visited and planted trees along the side of the pond, and declared that it will be cleaned up and revived. However, months later, it has already become a nuisance for those living in the neighbourhood,” said Om Prakash Kataria, a resident of the area.

Most of the water bodies in the city have become dumping grounds for sewage waste. Even Sikanderpur lake, which proposed for revival, to be turned into a public space, is lying unattended, with people living in the surrounding areas releasing their sewage waste into it.