Bilkul Sateek News
Gurugram (Mohit Kumar/Paridhi Dhasmana), 29 April — Eight days into a promised one-month sewer-line overhaul, the once-bustling Old Railway Road stretch from Sohna Chowk past New Harish Bakery to Shiv Moorti lies closed off—and inactive crews and gridlocked traffic now threaten to overwhelm commuters and force shopfronts to close.
Cutting through one of Gurugram’s busiest feeder routes amid a blistering heatwave has intensified commute delays, sparked sanitation concerns and strained livelihoods for local vendors. Workers cite soaring temperatures as the reason for limiting on-site hours, but locals say the sluggish pace only deepens public hardship and threatens confidence in civic authorities.
The authorities initially assured commuters that round-the-clock excavation would wrap up within four weeks. Instead, Lalit Mogia, who lives adjacent to the site, says crews have shown up for barely two to three hours a day. Mogia adds that the extended closure has left shoppers and restaurant-goers unable to access the stretch, and shopkeepers are reporting sharp revenue declines.
Mahesh Chawla of Chawla Hardware notes that, in addition to the halted work, refuse is accumulating in the trench. He points out that overflowing garbage exacerbates health hazards and deters potential customers along the road.
Advocate Manoj Garg warns that damaged manhole covers have already led to raw sewage seeping onto the pavement. Garg argues that the stand-still has transformed a routine maintenance task into a city-wide inconvenience, as traffic snarls spill onto neighbouring streets.
Daily commuter Sanjay Dahiya notes that since the closure began, hardly 100 feet of trench has been excavated. He adds that frustrated drivers are being forced onto the wrong side of the road, compounding the congestion and creating safety hazards. Dahiya warns the project deadline will slip even farther if the pace doesn’t pick up.
Local entrepreneur Arun reports 2 JCB’s employed by the authorities to do the job, but remains frustrated by negligible results. “Despite heavy machinery on standby, progress is virtually nonexistent,” he says, stressing that delayed completion directly translates into lost sales. Fellow shopkeeper Gopal concurs, emphasizing that every extra day of closure deepens the financial strain on small businesses.
With the official one-month deadline looming in late May, stakeholders urge the Municipal Corporation to deploy additional crews and extend working hours to meet the original timeframe. Authorities must take note of these grievances and accelerate operations so that traffic flow is restored, public health risks are contained, and local commerce can recover without further setbacks.
