‘I speak for Kharar’: Residents slam govt over hellish roads, waterlogging, daily traffic jams

“Women and children return home drenched in sewage water every night. The stench alone makes life unbearable, and there’s a constant fear of disease,” said one resident.

Accidents are now routine. From tourist buses to city buses and trucks — every other day a vehicle gets stuck or breaks down. Just recently, a tractor water tanker overturned after hitting a pothole. The absence of manhole covers and overflowing drains make the situation even more hazardous.

The ordeal is not limited to vehicles. A local resident, Kamal Sharma, recounted how his 75-year-old mother nearly fell into the filthy, waterlogged road when their scooter broke down while returning from the bus stand. Passersby had to lift both the elderly woman and the scooter to safety. “If we can’t even bring our family safely from the bus stand, what kind of governance is this?” he asked.

Students too suffer humiliation. A young BBA student narrated how her scooter stalled in knee-deep water, leaving her drenched and embarrassed. She refused to divulge her identity, saying, “It’s shameful to even talk about how our city looks in front of outsiders.”

Advocate Ashwani Kumar, a resident of Golden City, insists the solution is simple: rebuild the 600-metre stretch in concrete and the government must address this issue on a war footing. If a concrete solution is not implemented within the next couple of months, citizens have warned that a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) will be filed in the court.

“The Municipal Council has more than Rs 400 crore, yet not a single rupee is spent on basic facilities. The rain has exposed their complete failure,” said another resident.

Meanwhile, MLA Gagan Mann has come under sharp criticism. Locals allege she neither answers calls nor engages with residents. “Her claims are big, but her work is worth nothing. Not a single road in Kharar is free of potholes,” a commuter said.

For the past few days, the administration has been carrying out work on one side of the road by laying paver blocks. However, the pace of work has been extremely slow, as no construction takes place after 5 pm.

Residents have urged the administration to expedite the project by working round the clock. They also demanded a complete ban on the movement of heavy vehicles and trucks on this stretch until the road is completed. “Such vehicles should be diverted to alternative routes so that people can be relieved from traffic jams and the constant problem of potholes,” the residents said.

As traffic jams continue to trap even ambulances for hours, residents say they are living in “hellish”conditions, abandoned by those they elected.

Speaking on the issue, Deputy Commissioner Komal Mittal said that discussions are already underway with the NHAI authorities. “They have repaired the stretch two or three times, but heavy rainfall damages it again,” she said.

She said, “The main problem here is that some societies are also discharging their sewage water into the storm water system. In the coming days, we are starting dedicated sewerage work to ensure a permanent solution. We are hopeful that within a few days, residents will be completely relieved of this problem.”

On the traffic situation, the DC added, “We are coordinating with the traffic police to address the jams caused by trucks, so that citizens can get lasting relief.”