Sai Kunj residents block work on MCG sewer line

Facing a tough time commuting from New Palam Vihar to the main city, residents of Sai Kunj and neighbouring areas, on Monday, stopped the ongoing work of a sewer line being carried out by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG), and demanded that the authorities first open the Bajghera railway overbridge (ROB) for the public.

The residents said they are not against the sewer line project, but were concerned about commuting between New Palam Vihar and Palam Vihar as the digging would block the Chauma crossing — the nearest option available currently.

The sewer line, which will pass through areas of New Palam Vihar, such as Sai Kunj, Shankar Vihar, Ganga Vihar, and Sahib Kunj, is the need of the hour. The MCG planned a 900-mm deep sewer line a year ago to streamline the disposal of sewage in these areas. The sewer line would start from Shankar Vihar near Delhi border and meet the sewage treatment plant at Dhanvapur, all along the Delhi-Gurgaon-Rewari railway line.

At present, the residents of New Palam Vihar have to cross the railway lines at Basai and Daulatabad (where flyovers exist) to reach various areas of Palam Vihar. But they have to cover about five kilometres(km) to reach Palam Vihar. The Chauma railway crossing, which is manually managed and highly congested, is just 500 metres away from Sai Kunj in New Palam Vihar.

Notably, the under construction Bajghera ROB, once opens, will significantly reduce the distance between New Palam Vihar and Palam Vihar.

“Chauma railway crossing is the only available option for us to cross the railway line to enter the main city, as Basai and Daulatabad ROBs are five to seven km from New Palam Vihar. Bajghera crossing is blocked for traffic. We need to visit areas such as Palam Vihar, Udyog Vihar, Cyber City, and government offices daily. The MCG’s sewer line work would block the Chauma crossing. We are not in a position to face any more commuting trouble,” said Rakesh Rana, resident of New Palam Vihar. As such, the MCG must wait for Bajghera ROB to open for traffic, he added.

Surender Chaudhary, general secretary of residents’ welfare association (RWA) of Sai Kunj, said, “On January 9, we wrote a letter to MCG commissioner Yashpal Yadav to postpone the digging work till Bajghera ROB becomes operational. Crossing the railway line to reach a hospital in main city from New Palam Vihar is a nightmare currently. Digging would further block the Chauma crossing and will completely block our access to the main city.”

Although the construction of the Bajghera ROB was started by the public works department (PWD) in December 2016 with a two-year deadline, it is still incomplete. Chander Mohan, PWD superintending engineer, said, “ROB will be opened for traffic in June as construction is still pending.”

Meanwhile the residents have been facing a tough time commuting from New Palam Vihar to the main city via the Chauma crossing.

“Chauma railway crossing is too narrow to accommodate traffic volume during the rush hour. It takes 30 to 40 minutes to cross railway line here, but we have no option. The MCG should rather speak with the PWD and expedite the work on Bajghera ROB ,” said Sunil Singh of Shankar Vihar.

Commenting on the issue, MCG commissioner said, “I will look into the issue to find a solution. The residents’ concerns are genuine.”

First Published: Mar 19, 2019 00:55 IST