This year’s monsoon, like many others before it, gave the residents of one of Gurugram’s oldest residential colonies, Sushant Lok-1, an experience they dread but are also now resigned to. Flooded streets, broken roads, sewage blockages, traffic snarls, irregular waste collection, and frequent power cuts have become near-daily realities for thousands of families — despite the area being home to some of the city’s most high-value properties.
In several pockets, including lanes in A Block and parts of B Block, residents said they wade through waist-deep water, risking not just damage to property but their lives.
“Last year a senior resident got washed away in more than three feet of water and was admitted to a hospital for 10 days,” recalled long-time resident DV Sethi, who accused the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) of apathy. “Truly speaking, there is no concrete planning by the concerned authorities as to how to deal with the multifarious problems. They are callous.”
For Sharad Gupta, an A Block resident, monsoon months are nothing short of a nightmare. “The monsoons create havoc with certain pockets witnessing more than three feet of water especially between houses A-985 and A-1133. Cars float, basements flood, there is danger of electrocution, and overflowing sewer water mixes with rainwater before entering underground tanks. It makes life miserable,” he said.
A neighbourhood crumbling
Beyond flooding, roads across Sushant Lok-1 have deteriorated to the point where internal and slip roads are nearly non-existent, riddled with potholes and craters, residents said.
“Broken roads, unkempt pavements on the main road, widening of the main road, drainage work and power cabling work have been going on for more than a year,” said Col Sanjay Bakshi, another resident. “Even pruning of trees and electrical meters hung dangerously low are issues that remain unaddressed.”
Residents also said faulty roadworks have worsened flooding. “The Chakkarpur Road has no drain connectivity because during the G20 preparations, inlets were blocked when the road was paved. Now all the water flows into A Block, especially near houses 985 to 1133,” said Sanjeev Kakkar.
Residents alleged that Sushant Lok-1 is weighed down by poor planning. “The colony has been struggling with crumbling infrastructure due to poor planning and execution by the developer. Critical areas include rainwater flooding, broken roads, cleaning of roads, and waste management,” said resident Siddhartha Gupta. He added that while the new councillor, Vikas Yadav, has set up a WhatsApp group to take up complaints, the fixes remain piecemeal.
For many, the frustration is amplified by the fact that Sushant Lok-1 is one of Gurugram’s most affluent neighbourhoods. “We are currently facing significant challenges, including inadequate sewerage and drainage, limited access to potable drinking water, garbage issues, deteriorating roads, traffic congestion worsened by commercial activity, and frequent power outages,” said Sudhir Sachdeva, emeritus chairman of the colony’s RWA. “Despite being one of the most affluent neighbourhoods, we encounter these issues daily.”
Sachdeva also highlighted Gurugram’s disproportionate contribution to state revenues.
“It is imperative that the government addresses these concerns with urgency, particularly since we are among the highest tax-paying communities. The state receives 70% of its tax revenue from Gurugram. Yet we continue to suffer crumbling infrastructure.”
The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram, which took over the area in 2017 for waterworks and in 2019 for overall maintenance, acknowledged concerns, but defended its work. “The roads were repaired and laid in 2019, and we are in the process of starting work again. Roads are redone every five years,” said Milan Yadav, MCG junior engineer.
On sanitation, MCG officials insisted that teams are active. “Sanitation teams are regularly collecting waste and working to upkeep the area. We are aware of challenges during the monsoon and are addressing them systematically,” a spokesperson said.
Residents still unhappy
But residents remain sceptical, pointing to what they call a “total lack of accountability” from MCG and the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA). They said that while small, ad-hoc measures are taken, there is no long-term or coordinated plan to tackle flooding, road repairs, waste management, or traffic issues.
For now, residents say they are forced to handle the issue themselves — hiring private sweepers, arranging pumps to remove floodwater, and relying on WhatsApp groups to press for repairs. “We’re forced to create our own fixes when the administration fails us,” said Gupta.
Despite repeated complaints, civic issues in Sushant Lok-1 continue to mount, leaving residents disillusioned with both the developer’s legacy and municipal authorities’ current management. What frustrates many is the yawning gap between Gurugram’s image as a global corporate hub and the lived reality of its neighbourhoods.