The Gurgaon Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) has begun construction of a 750-meter-long open drain to connect the waterlogged Narsinghpur area on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway (NH-48) to the Badshahpur drain, according to officials. The work is expected to be completed within 10 days.
Deputy Commissioner Ajay Kumar inspected the ongoing construction of the drain on Monday and directed officials to accelerate the pace of work. He stated that the drain would be covered after the onset of the monsoon. “This is a major breakthrough in our efforts to mitigate urban flooding. The drain will directly connect the waterlogged patches in Narsinghpur to the Badshahpur drain, ensuring faster and more effective discharge of rainwater,” said Kumar.
The New Drainage Line
The new drainage line will replace the temporary arrangements that involved pumping rainwater through pipes toward the Badshahpur drain near Hero Honda Chowk. The authority aims to prevent waterlogging on both the main carriageway and service lanes of NH-48, particularly in the Narsinghpur area.
Earlier this week, authorities also removed encroachments on a 6-meter-wide stretch of land before commencing construction. The land for the drain is partly owned by the Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC), which agreed to hand over the land for the project. Following this, the encroachments were cleared and the site evacuated.
Deputy Commissioner Kumar stated that the land was acquired after months of planning and negotiations.
“We had to identify an alternative drainage route due to an ongoing legal dispute. After several rounds of talks with landowners and HSIIDC, a consensus was finally reached last Friday,” he said.
Last Friday, Kumar chaired a high-level meeting with private landowners who agreed to allow the construction of the drain adjacent to their property. Simultaneously, directions were issued to appoint a new duty magistrate for the removal of the remaining encroachments on HSIIDC land to ensure uninterrupted progress of the work.
