Gurgaon: MCG has suspended a junior engineer for a delay in installing pumping machinery during heavy rainfall on Tuesday, which left several parts of the city waterlogged for hours.Junior engineer Sumit Chahal, who was responsible for sectors 14 and 17C, has been placed under suspension with immediate effect after pump sets were not installed on time despite prior directions to station them at vulnerable locations before the rainfall.According to MCG, all officials had been instructed before the monsoon to ensure pump sets were deployed at identified waterlogging-prone locations and that rainwater was drained out without delay. However, pump sets were not available in sectors 14 and 17C when heavy showers hit the city on Tuesday. Terming the lapse as serious negligence, MCG suspended the junior engineer under the Haryana Civil Services (Punishment and Appeal) Rules, 2016.“Our sector was submerged, and, in some areas, waterlogging continued till Wednesday morning. It was only after help from the councillor that a water tanker was arranged and stagnant water was pumped out. Moreover, the rainwater harvesting pits, which were constructed last year, are not functional. The pits have been built, but there is no proper arrangement for rainwater to flow into them. We have repeatedly raised this issue with officials, but nothing happened,” said Hitesh Bharadwaj, RWA president of Sector 17C.Meanwhile, the civic body levied a Rs 1.9 lakh penalty on Hazarilal Cooperative Labour and Construction Society Ltd, the agency contracted to provide pumping machinery in Ward 25 during the monsoon season. MCG said despite repeated instructions, the agency failed to install the required machinery at identified locations.The notice stated that the absence of pumping equipment during Tuesday’s rainfall led to prolonged waterlogging, causing hardship for residents. The agency has been asked to submit its explanation within two days.MCG has warned that if the response is found unsatisfactory, it may terminate the work order, forfeit the agency’s security deposit, blacklist the contractor and initiate other action as per the contract conditions.Municipal commissioner Pradeep Dahiya said negligence in monsoon management would not be tolerated.“The safety and convenience of citizens are our top priority. Whether it is an officer or a contractor, anyone found failing to discharge their responsibilities will face strict action in accordance with the rules,” he said.
