Gurugram : Amid recurring rain-induced flooding across Gurugram, BJP MP Rao Inderjit Singh on Wednesday attributed the city’s chronic waterlogging problem to development carried out during the Congress era, alleging that construction over traditional drainage channels had disrupted the natural flow of rainwater.
Speaking to reporters after meeting Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, the veteran leader said decades of urban expansion had encroached upon old natural drains that once carried water from the Aravalli hills towards the Yamuna River.
“Waterlogging has been occurring in Gurugram for years. The main reason is that development has taken place over the old, traditional drains that used to carry water from the hills to the Yamuna,” Singh said.
The BJP MP proposed a long-term engineering solution involving the construction of underground tunnels along the routes of the historical drainage channels. According to him, these tunnels, similar to metro rail tunnels, could help channel excess rainwater through its original pathways and significantly reduce flooding in the city.
“The only way to fix this now is to construct underground tunnels, similar to those built for the Metro, along the paths of the old drains to channel the water through those original routes,” he said.
Singh described the current measures adopted by authorities as temporary interventions that provide limited relief. “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. The government is working on this, and we are arranging the necessary funds,” he added.
Political Debate Over Responsibility
The remarks are likely to trigger a political debate, given Singh’s own long association with the Congress party. Before joining the BJP in 2014, he spent several decades in Congress politics, serving as a Haryana minister and later as a Union minister in the UPA government.
Singh was elected from the Gurgaon Lok Sabha constituency on a Congress ticket in 2009 and remained with the party until switching allegiance to the BJP ahead of the 2014 general elections.
His comments come at a time when Gurugram is once again grappling with severe waterlogging following heavy rainfall, with flooded roads, traffic disruptions and civic infrastructure failures drawing criticism from residents and opposition parties alike.
As authorities continue to battle the annual monsoon challenge, Singh’s proposal for an underground tunnel-based drainage system has added a new dimension to the ongoing discussion on finding a permanent solution to Gurugram’s long-standing flooding woes.