‘Cleaned regularly’, but drains along NH-8 choked with trash

GURUGRAM: Commuters have expressed concerns about the frequent choking of stormwater drains along on NH-8 with garbage. The situation of the drains near Jharsa Chowk, in particular, is appalling, they said.
A visit to the spot on Monday showed that the drain along the Jaipur-Delhi carriageway is choked with a thick layer of algae, along with plastic and other waste. A motorist was also seen stopping and dumping an empty chips packet and a plastic bottle in the drain.
A passing pedestrian complained of the foul smell emanating from the drain and raised health concerns. “Nobody has any regard for hygiene and sanitation. People in big cars dump waste shamelessly, while the administration turns a blind eye,” he grumbled.
Lack of enforcement of waste disposal rules and civic sense aggravates the situation, commuters said.
“NH-8 is a premier expressway that is used by celebrities and dignitaries also. Ideally, the administration should have at least ensured cleanliness of this stretch. If such a crucial stretch that is always in focus is in such a dismal condition, one can imagine the state of other parts of the city,” said Saurabh Singh, an IT professional who travels from Delhi to Gurugram via NH-8 on a regular basis.
Highway operator Skylark, which is tasked with maintenance of these drains, blamed the administration for not enforcing strict sanitation rules and ensuring crackdown on illegal waste dumping. It also said much of the onus of keeping such infrastructure clean lies with the people and the area’s councillor.
“We regularly clean the drains. We have machines deployed at the highway at all times. We just completed desilting the drains from Hero Honda Chowk to Kherki Daula toll plaza. Residents had a made a mess of those drains by illegally dumping waste in them. Factories also released hazardous solid and liquid waste in the stormwater drain. We’ve written several letters to MCG and area councillors to stop these practices. But nobody is willing to take any concrete step,” a senior Skylark official said.
He further added that the situation near Jharsa Chowk is the result of unchecked illegal dumping of construction and demolition (C&D) waste by trucks in both the drain and the green belt along the road.
“On several occasions, we have stopped trucks from dumping waste and sent them away. But, neither we nor NHAI are enforcement bodies. We are vigilant, but it’s the administration’s job to look into these activities. We raised these issues, yet nothing has changed. All we can do is to keep cleaning them in patches,” the official added.
MCG, however, refuted the claims and said that they routinely penalise those dumping waste illegally. The civic body further argued that NHAI needs to take actions to clear out the C&D waste dumped by them.
“We regularly carry out drives and challan those found dumping C&D waste. We’ve impounded several trucks and trolleys for this offence. But NHAI isn’t doing enough to take care of the C&D waste that they themselves dump along the highway. It is this waste that is choking the drains. We’ve written letters and even asked them to cover drains so that they remain clean,” an MCG official said.
Meanwhile, NHAI said that highway concessionaire MCEPL is preparing a proposal. “MCEPL is preparing a proposal for covering drains and a contractor has been directed to remove C&D waste in consultation with MCG,” an official said.