Basai road’s condition worsens despite recent repairs

The eight to 100 kilometres stretch in Old Gururgam and upto Dwarka expressway in particular is in very bad shape, said residents.

The condition of the busy Basai road remains in poor condition even after repair works carried out by the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) in the first week of October. Residents allege that the road continues to be filled with large potholes, dust and damaged stretches and its condition has not improved since the last several years.

A damaged stretch on Basai road as seen on Friday. (HT Photo)

The Basai road starts from Sadar Bazar, passes near the Bhuteshwar mandir, goes through Basai village and onwards to Dhankot and to KMP Expressway and Jhajjar district. The eight to 100 kilometres stretch in Old Gururgam and upto Dwarka expressway in particular is in very bad shape, said residents. The road has also been damaged due to the frequent cave in of the sewage line passing under it.

Pankaj Dawar, president of the district Congress, who lives adjacent to the Basai road in Shivaji Nagar said that the condition of the road is pathetic, and the recent repairs carried out by GMDA were not up to the mark as the road started deteriorating within days. “We had held a protest against the poor repair works on October 5. The condition of the roads across the city is not good. We have also asked the state government to take cognizance in the matter,” said Dawar.

Locals complained that the condition of the road from Pataudi Chowk to Basai flyover was even worse and the road surface was so damaged that it was impossible to navigate through the potholes.

“We live nearby and are forced to use this road. For the last three to four years, we have been tormented due to poor road conditions,” said Rajender Kumar, a resident.

A GMDA official, who commutes through the road admitted that for motorcycle riders the road was a nightmare as one could meet with an accident any time. “There are potholes, cracks, and dust besides heavy traffic. I use this road daily and it’s a very bad experience,” he said on the condition of anonymity.

When asked about the poor condition of the road, GMDA spokesperson said, “We will repair the road under patchwork very shortly to improve road conditions and held ease traffic movement on this stretch.”

The GMDA, meanwhile, in order to expedite the road repair and maintenance work has recently divided the jurisdiction of its officials, and it has given roads from sector 1 to sector 67 to one executive engineer, while the remaining roads from sector 68 to sector 115 remain under another executive engineer.