Gurgaon: A 600-metre stretch, barely a two-minute drive, now takes over 30 minutes for residents of Tata Raisina Residency in Sector 59. Their only link to the city, a narrow, dug-up stretch, is so damaged that school buses refuse to enter, cabs cancel rides, cars frequently get stuck, and even grocery deliveries now attract a surcharge.For more than a month, over 1,500 people living in 326 flats have faced major access problems. One side of the only available revenue road, which is just five metres wide, was dug up to lay a sewer line towards Behrampur. Residents said the work started without providing any alternative route, leaving them dependent on a narrow and hazardous route.Around two weeks ago, the chambers were covered by MCG after repeated complaints. However, residents said the restoration was inadequate, with frequent instances of cave-ins, posing a serious risk of accidents.Schoolchildren have been hit hardest. Residents say several school buses now refuse to enter the society, as drivers avoid the narrow, damaged stretch. They alleged that the repairs were temporary and failed to address the underlying problem, with vehicles getting stuck on a daily basis.For Avisha Bhatnagar, a class 10 student, even getting to tuition has become a struggle. “Autos often cancel rides at the last moment upon seeing the road’s condition. While the stretch is only about 600 metres, crossing it can take over 30 minutes,” she says.According to residents, the repaired portions started sinking again within days of restoration.“We had been pursuing the authorities continuously, and around two weeks ago they finally filled the pits. But now the road has caved in again. Fresh cave-ins have appeared and vehicles continue to get stuck every day. One day it is a school bus, another day an auto, and then a truck. The problem has become a daily affair. Just few days ago, the civic agency dug up two large pits near the entrance of the revenue road, making it now impossible to commute,” said Vithika Yadav, a resident.Residents alleged that instead of undertaking permanent restoration, loose soil has been used to fill excavated sections, which gets washed away during rainfall.“The sewer-laying work is currently underway. After the pipeline was laid, the trench was backfilled, but the soil needs time to settle naturally. We are carrying out proper compaction to ensure there is no future sinking of the road. Once the ground achieves the required level of compaction, the road will be laid. We understand that commuters are facing some inconvenience, but this step is necessary to ensure the road remains stable and durable in the long run,” the MCG official said.The residents, however, questioned the need for carrying out the work in the monsoon season.“The condition of the road is deteriorating after every shower. Temporary filling is not a solution. Every time it rains, the surface sinks again, creating fresh hazards. We are worried that a major accident could happen if immediate action is not taken,” another resident said.Residents said the problem goes beyond daily inconvenience and raises serious concerns about emergency access.“If an ambulance or a fire tender has to reach the society during an emergency, what will happen? We cannot afford to lose crucial time because a vehicle is unable to cross a dug-up road. Infrastructure work is necessary, but it cannot be carried out by cutting off access to a society where more than 1,500 people live,” said Anil Gupta, a resident.Residents say poor access is now costing them more, with delivery apps and quick-commerce services adding surcharges to orders due to the poor condition of the stretch. Residents say they should not be forced to pay extra for connectivity failures they didn’t create.“Why should residents be penalised for the absence of proper connectivity? We pay for services like everyone else, but because vehicles find it difficult to reach our society, we are being asked to pay more,” Yadav added.Another resident complained that they were promised 24-metre-wide road connectivity upon possession of the flat. However, years later, they are still dependent on a narrow revenue road.This situation has renewed calls for the planned 24-metre-wide road to the society. Currently, residents rely mainly on narrow revenue roads. An alternative route through the adjoining complex was previously used, but residents said it has been closed by another developer.Residents urged the authorities to allow an interim access arrangement through Paras gate until the ongoing work is completed. They also sought improvement of another narrow road leading towards Mahindra Luminare.Meanwhile, a DTCP official said as per the department’s licensing policy, a project must have access through a revenue road and a proposed 24-metre sector road shown in the approved sector plan.An official explained that internal sector roads aren’t covered under external development charges, and there’s no policy for govt land acquisition for them. If the road lies within the licensed area, the developer must build it; otherwise, it’s only constructed when the competent authority acquires and develops the sector. Proposed roads aren’t always built at the time of licence approval.When contacted, the developer’s representative declined to comment on the matter.
