Open manholes, dangling high-tension wires make Sector 23A a death trap

GURGAON: Being adjacent to Carterpuri village, Sector 23A is not entirely urban. At the same time, it has also not let the neighbouring village remain rural because of the symbiotic relationship. For residents of the sector, though, the location does not mean an idyllic pastoral setting but a lot of misery .
The encroachers have even built hutments right in the middle of the road.In some cases, plot owners are unable to construct their houses because of the nearby encroachments and their plots have been lying vacant for a decade. These plots have turned into garbage dumping grounds, forcing nearby residents to live with garbage and filth scattered next to their houses.
"Most of the plots are lying vacant as the owners are reluctant to build houses and move in under these conditions," said Rajneesh Sharma, a resident.
Malkhan Singh Yadav, Sector 23A RWA president, said: "During the rains, the roads are filled with mud and filth." He said the sector also lacked a proper drainage system. Despite several reminders, the authorities have not done desilting work and now with the onset of the monsoon, mud is flowing onto the roads. The roads are in a dilapidated condition and non-motorable at many places .
RWA general secretary Bhawani Shankar Tripathy said high-voltage cables hanging close to the balconies of the houses can be seen everywhere in the sector. At several points, even the insulation cover is missing from the wires. "Repeated requests to the discom have yielded no results even when many families are living under constant threat from the cables," he said.
A discom official blamed the residents, saying the houses did not follow building norms and had encroached on the area meant for electricity lines. "The consumers have expanded their balconies and encroached on the distribution network. Due to the illegal construction, the poles and electric lines have come dangerously close to the balcony," he said.
Apart from this, several telecom towers have been installed in the residential plots and parks, blatantly flouting norms.
Residents said they met and presented their complaints to HUDA administrator P C Meena and the estate officer but neither of them took them seriously.
HUDA executive engineer Bhoop Singh said "There are some roads for which we will be releasing the tender. Repair work in other roads was stalled by the rains. There is no drainage issue in the area."