Congress-era development: Gurugram MP shifts blame as city goes under water

A war of words erupted over Gurugram's chronic waterlogging after four-time MP Rao Inderjit Singh called the measures a band-aid solution and blamed Congress-era development for construction over old drainage channels. The Congress hit back, alleging that Gurugram's infrastructure has “collapsed” despite Rs 1,400 crore being spent in recent years.“What we are doing right now is essentially a band-aid solution. It offers some relief, but if we block the water in one place, it finds a way out elsewhere,” Singh, who is also the Union Minister of State for Culture, told ANI on Tuesday.Singh's remarks came after heavy rain brought Gurugram to a standstill, with 75 mm of rainfall recorded between 8 am and 5 pm on August 24. Several parts of the city were severely waterlogged, with traffic disrupted, and school buses stranded for hours. The district administration subsequently advised offices to work from home on August 25.On Gurugram's long-standing waterlogging problem, Singh said the issue was largely linked to development over traditional drains that once carried rainwater from the hills to the Yamuna. “We are still dealing with the consequences of this development that happened during the Congress era today,” he said. Notably, Singh was himself a Congress leader when he was first elected as the Gurugram MP in 2009. He switched to the BJP in 2014 and has since won the seat three times on a BJP ticket. The BJP has been in power in Haryana since 2014, after ending the Congress's 10-year rule in the state.Singh said, "The only permanent solution is to construct underground tunnels in Gurugram, similar to those built for the Metro, along the paths of the old drains to channel water through its original routes." The BJP MP said the city needs such underground tunnels to restore the natural flow of water. He asserted that the government was working on a permanent solution and efforts were underway to arrange the necessary funds for constructing the proposed tunnels.“The government is working on this, and we are arranging the necessary funds,” he said.Gurugram lies in a natural basin, while stormwater from the surrounding Aravalli Hills flows towards its urban areas. Rapid urbanisation and construction over traditional drainage channels have further reduced the routes available for water to escape, making the Millenium City vulnerable to flooding during heavy rain.CONGRESS SLAMS BJP OVER GURUGRAM WATERLOGGINGCongress general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala hit out at Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini over the waterlogging in Gurugram, alleging that the city's infrastructure had “collapsed” and accusing the BJP government of failing to address the problem despite spending Rs 1,400 crore.“Gurgaon infra has ‘collapsed’... roads and streets flooded, people getting electrocuted, govt and administration missing, chaos prevails,” Surjewala said in a post on X, referring to the waterlogging, stranded school buses and the work-from-home advisory issued by the administration.Gurugram, one of Haryana's biggest revenue generators, has continued to face severe waterlogging during the monsoon despite 408 rainwater harvesting systems being installed in areas under the municipal corporation.Around 70 mm of rain in 35 minutes left several major roads and underpasses submerged on August 24. Around 15 vehicles, including nine school buses, were stranded at Subhash Chowk, leaving more than 300 schoolchildren trapped for nearly two hours.In one such incident, a school van carrying nursery students that was navigating through a waterlogged road in the city got trapped for several hours, leaving the schoolchildren in panic. They were ultimately rescued.In a separate incident, a section of a service lane along the Delhi-Jaipur highway caved in near IFFCO Chowk, creating a large pit. A Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) team reached the site after receiving reports of the road submergence.As the service lane is part of the Delhi-Jaipur highway, repair work will be undertaken by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) after the sewer line leakage is fixed, officials said.- Ends(with inputs from PTI, ANI)Published By: Prateek ChakrabortyPublished On: Aug 26, 2026 08:39 IST