Gurgaon: Union minister and city MP Rao Inderjit Singh has sought an immediate vigilance inquiry into alleged lapses by the irrigation department in maintaining the city’s natural stormwater drains.He has alleged that hundreds of notices issued to builders over encroachments were not followed by removal action. In a letter to Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini, dated Sept 8, Singh said the issue came up during a Sept 2 meeting he held with officials of GMDA, MCG, HSVP and other departments after the city was hit by widespread waterlogging. Heavy rain that day had disrupted traffic at several key locations, including Udyog Vihar, Shankar Chowk, IFFCO Chowk, Rajiv Chowk and Sohna Road.Singh said officials informed him that the irrigation department was responsible for keeping natural stormwater drains and drainage routes free of encroachments. He alleged that one officer, identified as Shiv Singh Rawat, had remained posted in the city for around seven years, first as assistant executive engineer and later as superintending engineer, before recently retiring.According to the letter, officials told Singh that the department had issued hundreds of notices to builders under the Canal and Drainage Act during the past seven years over alleged encroachments on natural drains. However, he alleged that the encroachments were not removed and that efforts were made to suppress the notices.The minister alleged that while the irrigation department had responsibility for managing natural drains under the Canal Act, no budget had been spent on cleaning the drains during the past seven years. This, he said, contributed to waterlogging in large parts of the city. The issue assumes significance amid repeated flooding in the rapidly urbanising city. Singh has previously attributed the recurring crisis to construction over natural drainage routes and encroachment of drains and water bodies, while seeking restoration of the city’s drainage network.In his latest communication, Singh described the alleged inaction as “irresponsible” and “criminal negligence” and said it had tarnished the govt’s image. He urged CM to order the probe so that those found responsible could be punished according to law.Rawat, a retired SE of the irrigation department who was named in the letter, said the information attributing responsibility for the city’s natural drainage system to Gurgaon construction circle (irrigation dept) is factually incorrect. “The natural drainage system of the city has been under the jurisdiction of the SE, water services circle, Faridabad and Xen Mewat water services division, Nuh,” said Rawat.Rawat said during his tenure as SE (Gurgaon construction circle), the circle was a project-based construction organisation. “Its major water-supply responsibility in the NCR related to the NCR water supply canal for supplying drinking water to the city. The natural drainage system was not under our jurisdiction,” said Rawat.He said it may also be relevant to clarify that the major urban drainage components of the city, including the Badshahpur Drain and its Leg-1 and Leg-2 systems, have been under the responsibility of HUDA, MCG and subsequently GMDA, as per the respective administrative arrangements.“Further, drainage infrastructure falling within urban municipal areas is generally maintained by the urban local bodies/development authorities concerned, rather than by the irrigation department. So the responsibility for waterlogging in the city lies with these departments. It is a matter of concern that such incorrect information appears to have been placed before a senior Union minister by the district administration, apparently without verification from departmental records,” Rawat added.
