Sushant Lok 1 residents hold protest against poor civic amenities

The residents of Sushant Lok 1 on Sunday staged a protest against the civic authorities for allegedly failing to provide basic amenities.

The residents first held a protest at Sushant Arcade and later blocked one of the crossings opposite the Huda City Centre (Millennium City Centre Gurugram) Metro station to voice their concerns against poor sanitation, inadequate sewage system, water shortage, damaged roads and general lack of cleanliness.

Dr AK Nagpal, vice-president, Sushant Lok 1 residents’ welfare association (RWA), said they were forced to protest against the civic authorities because the colony has turned into a garbage dump. “The entire sanitation system has failed, and garbage is being dumped everywhere. We first protested at Sushant Arcade and then blocked a road near the Huda Metro station to raise our concerns,” he said.

The protesters alleged that the sewage system of the colony was inadequate and waterlogging as well as overflowing sewage were major issues.

Vishnu Khanna, president of Sushant Lok 1 RWA, alleged that electricity infrastructure was also inadequate in the colony. He said residents were forced to protest so that the concerned authorities take remedial action.

Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) chief executive officer and Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) commissioner PC Meena took cognisance of the protests on Sunday. He said Sushant Lok 1 was developed in the 1980s when the population density was low and infrastructure as such was laid for a lesser number of people.

“The population has multiplied exponentially, and simple repairs will not resolve the issues as the colony is in a very dilapidated condition. We have decided to conduct an infrastructure audit after the monsoon is over to assess the overall situation. We will overhaul the infrastructure in a comprehensive manner and adequate funds will be made available for this purpose,” Meena said.

Meena added that for issues such as sanitation, he will direct his officials to immediately take remedial measures. “We will also direct the sanitation staff and contractor to ensure cleanliness in the entire area,” he said.