Gurgaon rain chaos: WFH advised as flooded roads trigger massive jams; MCG Commissioner transferred

Gurgaon, which received 20 mm of rain between 8 am and 5 pm on Thursday, followed Sohna which recorded 30 mm of rain. Wazirabad recorded 26 mm of rain, followed by Badshahpur (25 mm) and Tehsil Manesar (22 mm). Gurgaon had recorded an average of 97 mm of rainfall between 8 am on Wednesday and 8 am on Thursday.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an ‘orange’ alert for the city.

The District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), headed by District Magistrate Uttam Singh, issued an advisory urging all corporate offices and private establishments to allow employees to work from home (WFH) on Thursday and Friday.

The advisory aimed to reduce vehicle density on flooded roads and allow civic agencies to undertake urgent drainage restoration and repair works.

The city police also issued a cautionary advisory, appealing to commuters to avoid unnecessary travel as traffic management teams and local police station SHOs were deployed across major intersections to manage vehicle movement amidst rising water levels.

A general House sitting of the MCG scheduled for Thursday had to be postponed indefinitely owing to the rain.

Officials’ take

Earlier in the day, Dahiya said corrective steps taken by the corporation ensured areas like Alpine School Road at Sector 10, I-Block in South City-2, Swagat Park in Sector-4, and the Government Middle School in Shivaji Nagar did not witness waterlogging.

ACP Traffic (HQ and Highways) Satpal Yadav asked residents to use public transport, and acknowledged the pressure on traffic due to both the rains and the diversions in place due to the Kanwar Yatra.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Prateek Gahlot claimed that waterlogging hotspots were mapped well in advance. “Following joint civic inspections of the GMDA, MCG, and NHAI, choked drains were desilted and auxiliary drain connections were established to accelerate rainwater discharge. Crucial technical and structural overhauls were also executed at major bottlenecks, including Mahavir Chowk, Bristol Chowk, Atlas Chowk, and Shankar Chowk, to facilitate smoother traffic flow. To ensure safety of devotees during the ongoing Kanwar Yatra, lanes have been barricaded and pedestrian crossings regulated along key stretches,” he said.

Commuters stranded

Gridlocks were reported from key junctions including Subhash Chowk, Rajiv Chowk, Hero Honda Chowk, Golf Course Extension Road, Old Delhi-Gurugram Road, and the Gurgaon Expressway.

Dharam Veer Singh, a resident of Mapsko Casabella in Sector 82, was stuck on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway stretch near Ambience Mall between 7 and 9 am.

“I left home early to reach my workplace in West Delhi, but was stuck on the NH-48 for two hours. Water entered parts of the main carriageway, and cars were crawling,” he fumed.

In several residential areas, roads were blocked by trees uprooted by the heavy rain and strong wind.

In Sector 23A, residents expressed frustration over the delay in municipal response. “An uprooted tree has been blocking an internal sector road since morning. Despite repeated calls to civic authorities and helpline numbers, no team arrived immediately to clear the debris, leaving it to us residents and staff of Northcap university,” lamented a Sector 23A resident.

Gate 3 of Ardee City in Sector 52 saw near knee-length levels of waterlogging. The civic corporation later deployed a tractor mounted pump to help drain the water.

“It is a chronic problem. The spot sees waterlogging even after little rain and becomes dangerous for commuters,” said Ardee City resident Chaitali Mandhotra.