Gurgaon Road Grievance Portals Expose Alarming Civic Failures
In Gurgaon, two official grievance portals designed to assist residents in reporting damaged roads and potholes are painting a distressing picture of municipal inefficiency. Data from the complaint handling system (CHS) portal reveals that as of March 5, a staggering 6,183 road-related grievances were pending across various municipal divisions of the city.
Escalating Backlog Despite Resolution Efforts
Over the subsequent two weeks, Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) officials managed to close 1,253 complaints. However, instead of reducing the backlog, the number of unresolved cases surged to 6,544 by March 19. This indicates that new complaints are being registered at a faster rate than they are being addressed, exacerbating the civic crisis.
A separate dataset from the "Mhari Sadak" grievance platform mirrors this troubling trend, underscoring systemic issues in road maintenance and complaint resolution.
Division-Wise Breakdown of Pending Complaints
Detailed analysis of the CHS portal data shows varying levels of pendency across divisions:
- Division 1A (wards 9, 10, 16, 17): 1,130 complaints pending on March 5; 276 resolved, reducing pendency to 954 by March 19.
- Division 1B (wards 11, 14, 15, 18): 814 complaints pending earlier; 133 closed, but pendency now stands at 803.
- Division 2A (wards 5, 6, 33, 34): 440 complaints pending initially; despite 83 resolved, pendency rose to 582.
- Division 2B (wards 7, 8, 28, 29, 30, 32): 1,008 complaints pending; 270 disposed of, yet pendency increased to 1,314.
- Division 3A (wards 1, 2, 3, 4, 12, 13): 1,177 complaints pending; after 213 resolved, pendency currently at 1,216.
- Division 3B (wards 27, 31, 35, 36): 202 complaints pending; 136 closed, leaving 207 still unresolved.
Mhari Sadak Portal Highlights Disparities
On the Mhari Sadak platform, as of March 5, 1,600 complaints were recorded, with 1,090 (approximately 68%) pending. By March 19, total complaints rose to 1,780, with 1,015 unresolved. While the pendency rate dropped from 68% to about 57%, the absolute number of pending cases remains critically high.
Key findings from Mhari Sadak include:
- Division 4B (wards 23, 24, 25, 26): Highest pendency rate at 84.5%, with 163 complaints pending out of 193.
- Division 3B: Lowest pendency rate at 33.2%, with 84 complaints pending out of 253, making it the best-performing division.
- Division 2B: Highest total complaints at 305, with 152 pending.
- Division 2A: Lowest total complaints at 91, with 40 pending.
Official Response and Future Projections
MCG commissioner Pradeep Dahiya addressed the issue, stating that the pendency of road-related complaints on both CHS and Mhari Sadak portals is expected to be reduced in the next two months. "Our road repairs and recarpeting works started in January. I am certain that the pendency will be reduced significantly in two months. Moreover, major road infrastructure development will be done by December-end," Dahiya assured.
Despite these assurances, the current data highlights a persistent gap between complaint registration and resolution, calling for urgent civic action to improve Gurgaon's road infrastructure and governance efficiency.
