In a city cut through by the Delhi-Jaipur highway and intersected by multiple other peripheral and state highways, pedestrians are left in the lurch—especially given the civic apathy to dedicated infrastructure, as evidenced by the city’s dilapidated foot overbridges.
While HT had reported in March about the poor state of FOBs, a spot check on Saturday revealed not much change on the ground.
HT visited seven key foot overbridges, including the ones at IFFCO Chowk, Rajiv Chowk, MG Road, Sector 18, Narsinghpur, Sector 9, and Hero Honda Chowk, which are heavy traffic zones. HT found defunct elevators, caved-in floors, and piles of garbage and dust covering the structures. The unhygienic and unsafe conditions have forced commuters to avoid the bridges altogether, opting instead to cross busy roads and junctions at ground level.
The FOBs are maintained by multiple agencies, including the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram, Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority and the National Highways Authority of India.
‘Defunct elevators and lack of maintenance’
At Rajiv Chowk, commuters said the elevators have been non-functional for years. Deepal, 30, who goes by a single name and is a regular commuter, said, “Elevators have been broken for a long time. Only a handful of people use the FOB to cross. Seems like elevators were installed just for show.”
He added, “The stairs are not clean, stray dogs defecate here and dust and garbage are strewn all around.”
Naresh Kumar, 41, a tea seller near the same spot, said he has never seen anyone clean the FOB. “There is no cleaning, no maintenance at all,” he said.
At IFFCO Chowk, the situation was no better. The foot overbridge near the bus stand lies neglected, with elevators that have turned into garbage dumps. A trans woman, who requested anonymity, said, “The elevators have not been working for years. Since they remain out of use, people dump garbage in them.”
Naresh Singh, a cobbler who sits near the IFFCO Chowk foot overbridge, described the structure as “deplorable.” He said, “The floor of the FOB has caved in, but no repairs have ever been carried out. I’ve never seen any NHAI official come here for inspection. There’s no cleaning — while the roads are swept, the sides of the FOB remain filthy. At night, there’s barely any lighting, so people avoid using it altogether.”
Singh also highlighted poor civic behaviour by pedestrians. “People also lack civic sense. This FOB has become a urinal for many, and they don’t care about those of us who sit nearby,” he added.
Another commuter, Jaiveer Singh, who works at a tech company, said he no longer uses the bridge. “I once used the FOB but stopped after noticing the floors had caved in. Ever since, I’ve avoided walking on it as it feels too dangerous,” he said.
Meanwhile, at MG Road, the foot overbridge is covered in garbage and emits a foul odour. “If I have to use the ramps or stairs, I need to hold the railings for support, but they are so unhygienic that I don’t even want to touch them,” said Sheetal Agarwal, a senior citizen who lives nearby.
“The elevators of most of the FOBs are out of service. How do you expect a senior citizen to climb stairs?” Agarwal asked.
Deepak, another commuter, drew a sharp comparison between privately maintained and government-maintained bridges. “The FOBs in Cyber City and DLF Phase 4 are up to the mark. The lifts work, and I’ve seen proper cleaning there. But the FOBs under government maintenance are in poor condition,” he said.
Authorities acknowledge lapses
In response to the complaints, district project officer, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Akash Pardy, admitted to the poor condition of Gurugram’s FOBs. “A tender has been issued and an agency has been finalised for the repair and maintenance of the city’s foot overbridges,” Pardy said. He assured that work will begin at the end of November. “All the FOBs will be fixed soon. We will also ensure proper maintenance of these FOBs,” he added.
Some FOBs, however, fall under the jurisdiction of the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA). A senior GMDA official, requesting anonymity, said they recently received complaints about the FOB near Basai and assured that it would be repaired at the earliest. “Sanitation of these bridges comes under the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG),” the official added.
Despite several calls and messages, MCG officials did not respond to HT’s queries.
Safety concerns for women and elderly
At Hero Honda Chowk, the escalators are non-functional, and inadequate lighting makes the bridge unsafe for women and elderly commuters after dark. Shreya Yadav, a regular commuter, said she avoids using the bridge at night. “There’s no lighting, and I feel very unsafe, so I don’t use it,” she said.
“Near Rajiv Chowk, I have even seen liquor bottles scattered around. My friends, who commute from that side at night, have noticed people lingering there. It is a very unsafe spot because no one uses the FOB after dark, there’s no lighting, and there are no checks,” she added.
A few transgender persons echoed similar concerns, saying that inebriated men often loiter on the FOBs at night, passing lewd comments. “There’s also a spot near the bridge where people commonly urinate. If you are alone after dark, it’s actually safer to take the road than the FOB. IFFCO Chowk is one of the city’s busiest areas, so one fears while crossing roads. But it’s still better than using the bridge,” she said.
Meanwhile, Naresh Kumar, a local vendor, said women and senior citizens are rarely seen using the FOB at Rajiv Chowk after dark. “I’ve been running my stall here for the past five years, and I have rarely seen a woman or an elderly person use the bridge at night,” he said.
Commuters also said the bridges become hazardous during the rainy season. Roofs leak, stairs become slippery, and waterlogging occurs at the entry points of several FOBs. “At IFFCO Chowk, the service lane often gets waterlogged, and a large puddle forms right near the stairs of the FOB. On top of that, the leaky roofs leave me drenched when I try to cross,” said a transgendered individual.
“The floors of the FOBs become extremely slippery during the rains, and the grip loosens. With no repairs done, walking on them becomes difficult. That’s why I mostly avoid using them during the monsoon,” said Jaiveer Singh, a commuter.
Earlier in March, HT had reported on the poor condition of foot overbridges (FOBs) in Gurugram, highlighting the neglect that has forced pedestrians to risk crossing busy roads instead of using these bridges. At key locations like IFFCO Chowk, the pedestrian bridge is covered in dust and garbage, with escalators out of service for months, leading to low usage. Similarly, at Sector 30 near Signature Towers and Hero Honda Chowk, non-functional escalators and lack of lighting create unsafe conditions, especially for women and elderly people after dark.