Revamp stuck for 4 yrs, commuters navigate through potholes on Gurgaon's SPR

GURGAON: The redevelopment of the Southern Peripheral Road (SPR) has been lying on paper since 2019. In the meantime, commuters are bearing the brunt of broken roads, uneven surfaces and potholes on a daily basis.
The entire stretch from Ghata village to NH-8 near Kherki Daula toll plaza is broken with innumerable potholes and clouds of dust making the ride extremely difficult for commuters.
Residents living in areas along the SPR have complained that the road has been in a “pathetic” condition for several years now. The lack of regular maintenance of the key arterial road is further aggravating their woes and contributing to dust pollution too, they alleged.
Neehar Ranjan, a resident of BPTP Astaire Garden in Sector 70A who commutes to his office in Sector 45 daily, said the travel time has increased due to the potholes. “Crossing Vatika Chowk is nothing but a nightmare due to huge potholes slowing down traffic. Although it is hardly a 30 minutes’ drive to my office, the road is in such poor condition that it has increased travel time to almost an hour. We have been complaining about the potholes as well as the constant overflowing of a drain near Tulip Chowk to no avail,” he said.
“Roads are a basic amenity and despite paying internal and external development charges to the government, we are deprived of civic services. Patchwork doesn’t last very long due to the heavy flow of traffic on this stretch. I don’t know when the redevelopment of this road will see the light of day,” said Krishan Pratap Singh, a resident of Palm Hills in Sector 77.
GMDA officials said the revamp plan is awaiting final approval from the state government. The project, which includes the construction of eight flyovers, a six-lane main carriageway, service roads, footpaths, cycle tracks and upgrade of all SPR junctions, is estimated to cost Rs 845 crore.
“The SPR redevelopment project is awaiting approval of the high-power works committee of the state government. Only work allotment is pending, as it requires approval from the state government of this scale. In the meantime, we are starting patchwork on this stretch to make it motorable till we get the final nod,” a senior GMDA official said.
Residents blamed the civic authority for failing to ensure routine repair and maintenance of the road.
“The entire stretch is ridden with potholes. Forget about re-carpeting, hardly any patchwork is done here. Vehicles are frequently getting damaged due to potholes, they should carry out routine repairs,” said Pratik Sharma, a resident of Sector 69.