Gurgaon floods: State human rights body raises alarm over civic collapse, flags neglect and inadequate planning

In an order passed on September 8, and released on Friday, a Full Bench comprising Chairperson Justice Lalit Batra, Member (Judicial) Kuldip Jain, and Member Deep Bhatia invoked Articles 21, 47, and 48-A, pertaining to protection of life and personal liberty, “duty of the State to raise the level of nutrition and the standard of living and to improve public health, and protection and improvement of environment and safeguarding of forests and wildlife.

“Persistent and anticipated failure of essential civic infrastructure, if attributable to neglect, inadequate planning, failure of maintenance or failure to take reasonable preventive measures, may have a direct bearing upon the enjoyment of human rights,” stated the order.

It stated that while no final finding of violation has been recorded yet, the proceedings aim to determine accountability and mandate corrective institutional measures.

Issuing a wide-ranging set of directions, the rights panel instructed the Chief Executive Officer of the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) to coordinate a joint technical audit alongside the District Administration, Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG), and other state departments.

The Commission’s primary directives include:

• City-wide Infrastructure Audit: A complete review of the existing stormwater drainage capacity, points of backflow or illegal cross-connections with sewer lines, and a granular assessment of the 99 chronic waterlogging locations identified across the city.
• Integrated Revamping Plan: Preparation of a long-term urban drainage overhaul based on scientific hydrological and hydraulic engineering.
• GIS Mapping and Anti-Encroachment: Formulation of a GIS-based map of all natural drains, traditional watercourses, and catchment paths to pinpoint and remove illegal encroachments or obstructions.
• Child and Commuter Safety Protocols: A formal emergency operating protocol to prevent school transport from being stranded. It has directed that the protocol ensure real-time tracking of school buses, route diversions around high-risk flooded stretches, pre-identified safe holding points, rapid rescue deployments, and designated green corridors for emergency medical vehicles.
• Utility and Cave-In Assessments: Structural vulnerability inspections of roads, culverts, underpasses, and underground utility corridors prone to erosion.
• Accountability and Independent Review: Compiling a five-year record of departmental lapses and sanction status, alongside considering an independent basin-wide study conducted by an IIT or NIT.

“The Commission has sought a conjoint compliance report from the Deputy Commissioner, MCG Commissioner, HSVP Administrator, Police Commissioner, and other allied departments under the coordination of the Chief Executive Officer, GMDA,” Dr. Puneet Arora, Assistant Registrar, said.

“The Commission has specifically directed that the comprehensive report be submitted one week prior to the next date of hearing scheduled for December 15″, he added.

Meanwhile, in a review meeting held on Friday, the Haryana government discussed pivoting its monsoon mitigation strategy toward on-site water retention and recharge. Principal Adviser (Urban Development) DS Dhesi directed civic bodies and the GMDA to identify sites for new water bodies, evaluate 15 proposed retention reservoirs in the rural belts of Manesar, and deploy high-capacity injection wells designed to absorb runoff.