The Aam Aadmi Party on Friday mocked Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar saying he had turned “Gurugram into Guru-jam”, a day after the BJP leader accused Arvind Kejriwal of “non-cooperation” in decongesting Gurgaon.
During a live Twitter session with Khattar yesterday, one person had questioned the delay in completion of the Northern Peripheral Road (NPR) project also known as the Dwarka Expressway, suggesting it would “decongest most of Gurugram traffic”.
Khattar responded saying: “Mr. @ArvindKejriwal should be asked this. Frustrated by non-cooperation by Delhi Govt, we have got it declared as NH.”
Mr. @ArvindKejriwal should be asked this.Frustrated by non-cooperation by Delhi Govt,we have got it declared as NH. https://t.co/LUJGj9lSwT
— Manohar Lal (@mlkhattar) July 28, 2016
Asked about the allegation, AAP spokesperson Ashtuosh dismissed it as “hilarious” saying the people of Haryana wanted a Chief Minister “but got a Khattar” instead.
“When you make Khattar as CM this is what you get. He has turned Gurugram into Gurujam,” Ashutosh said.
He also tweeted the following.
Monster Traffic jam in Gurgaon because there is an incompetent CM in Haryana. There is a corrupt govt; because there is Khattar.
— ashutosh (@ashutosh83B) July 29, 2016
Although Kejriwal did not react to Khattar’s allegation directly, he put out a tweet “That’s BJP’s governance”, referring to a user’s lament about the waterlogging situation in the Millennium city.
Long tailbacks were witnessed in gridlocked roads in Gurgaon for the second day today due to severe waterlogging on National Highway-8 after heavy rains lashed Delhi’s satellite city leaving thousands of commuters stranded and forcing authorities to clamp prohibitory orders.
Meanwhile, schools were also ordered to be shut down for two days. Prohibitory orders were imposed near Hero Honda Chowk in a bid to ease the congestion caused by massive traffic jams.
Many motorists abandoned their vehicles and waded through knee-deep water which accumulated on both the carriageways of Delhi-Jaipur road, including Hero Honda Chowk, bringing traffic to a standstill with the tailback extending up to 15-20 km.
“Considering the unprecedented rainfall and the flow of huge volume of water due to downward gradient from Delhi towards Gurgaon, prohibitory order under section 144 CrPC has been imposed near Hero Honda Chowk in the city,” Gurgaon deputy commissioner T.L. Satyaprakash said.
He said DEO has been directed to request all schools in the city to remain closed on Friday and Saturday due to potholes and open manholes.
Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari has ordered National Highways chief Raghav Chandra to send a team of officials to clear the traffic and submit a report to him, an official said.
Haryana chief minister M.L. Khattar, who himself wanted to go to Gurgaon to assess the prevailing situation, could not proceed as his helicopter could not take off due to bad weather. Khattar has called an emergency meeting in Chandigarh to discuss the situation arising out of the traffic jams and waterlogging problem.
Some MNCs also declared a day off in Gurgaon as their vehicles which pick and drop employees were stranded in traffic. Gurgaon Police has issued an advisory asking people coming to Gurgaon from Delhi to avoid travelling.
“People coming to Gurgaon from Delhi are advised to stay back today to avoid being stuck in traffic jams due to flooding on roads,” it said on Twitter.
“As BJP passes the buck, Gurgaon chokes. Wht an awful ordeal 4commuters esp ambulances tht may have been stuck for hrs!,” Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi tweeted.
Chief secretary D.S. Dhesi said the situation arose last evening due to unexpected 46 mm rainfall recorded within three hours as against 190mm rainfall recorded between 1 June and 27 July in Gurgaon. He said that the situation had aggravated because a flyover was under construction at Hero Honda Chowk.
As a result of its scaffoldings and construction material, the by lane had further become narrow causing traffic bottlenecks. With a view to regulate traffic, light vehicles are being allowed to pass on priority basis while heavy vehicles are being diverted.
