Life stuck on second gear for Gurgaon apartment residents

Gurgaon, Aug 18 (UNI) In this hour of ''total civic collapse'' in one of the upscale high-rise apartments here, which got flooded with knee-length water due to rain, its residents are putting their best foot forward and displaying exemplary courage.

Life in Belvedere Park, one of the poshest apartments in DLF city, has turned topsy-turvy ever since the flooding of rain water on the eve of Independence Day.

''The situation could not have been worse. It is total civic collapse,'' quipped one of the residents at a meeting of the Belvedere Park Condominium Association's (BPCA) Board of Managers with the residents of the apartments last evening.

The meeting was called to update the residents on steps being taken to restore life to normalcy as they have been deprived of basic amenities like electricity, water and proper drainage system in the aftermath of the flooding, when they are used to 24-hour power supply and water facility.

The basement, which houses the diesel generator sets to ensure all-time electricity, is flooded with water and efforts are on to clear it.

Even though 24-hour power supply has been restored with the help of generators provided by DLF, it would have to be paid for at a higher rate than normal as Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) power cannot be used until the basement is de-watered.

Braving all odds, the residents are volunteering to put in efforts and cooperate with the management to bring back life to normalcy. They have been advised by the management not to use air-conditioners or other heavy duty electrical items and use water sparingly.

Speaking to UNI, Mr Shiv Kumar, Manager of the BPCA said, ''The problem is basically of rain water drainage as Belvedere Park is on a low-lying area.'' About steps being taken to resolve the crisis, the management informed the meeting, ''The Delhi Metro has commissioned a heavy duty pump to clear the basement.'' As a temporary solution, DLF is digging a trench to divert the storm water away from the building in the event of further rains and as a permanent solution, a water pipe would be tunneled under the road after the monsoons by September, the residents were informed.

Ms Indira Unninayar, Secretary, Board of Managers said, ''DLF has shown exemplary sense of urgency in supporting us to restore normalcy. They have also assured us that the long-term problem of storm water drainage and sewage will be permanently solved, so that we never face this situation again.'' ''Managing Director, DLF Projects Rajiv Malhotra and senior members of his team have personally been there, working consistently to provide us with power, water and help us in cleaning up the slush and slurry to prevent clogging of drains, spraying and defogging to handle hygiene issues, and dewatering the basement to get the generators commissioned once again,'' she added.

However, an angry resident S P Tripathy said, ''DLF is one of the leaders in the industry and such sheer lack of foresight on their part is unexpected. How could HUDA approve such an unplanned construction without proper drainage in such times?'' UNI SKB RP RAI1308