The six lane project National Highway-19 connecting Delhi and Agra worth Rs 3,000 crore is almost complete however waste water from the nearby village accumulates on it creating traffic menace.
“Waterlogging due to sewage flowing in from Seekri village, 10 km from here, has been a persistent problem,” says Neeraj Chauhan, a commuter. He shared that a majority of vehicles either have to move at a very slow speed or get stranded temporarily because of accumulated water near Seekri village.
A local resident shared that the problem has been persistent on the Palwal-Faridabad stretch for the past several months now. “The speed of vehicles gets reduced. Many times, it results in acute traffic congestion over 200 metres,” he said.
Holding the authorities accountable, Palwal resident Tarun Khutela said that the accumulation of water in and around the highway was not expected after the six-lane highway for which commuters would pay toll tax soon.
Dheeraj Singh, an official of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) shared that the maintenance work had been outsourced to private company Delhi Agra Toll Road (DATR). A spokesperson of the DATR said all care had been taken in to account to keep the highway free from water logging.
The accumulation of water was due to the choking of the storm water drains and the problem in the sewage outlet in Seekri village. “We have written to the civic authorities numerous times, but the problem is still to be addressed,” he added.
However, Virender Kardam, Superintending Engineer, Municipal Corporation, Faridabad shared that the waste water matter comes under the village panchayat and not under the Municipal Corporation.
