Gurugram's 200 societies along Dwarka e-way suffer at the hands of tanker mafia

Gurugram, June 26

Tanker mafia has allegedly damaged water pipeline of a residential society — Emaar Imperial Gardens, Sector 102, Gurugram — as its members failed to pay them “protection money”.

GMDA passes the buck

• Many residential societies in Gurugram had been dependent on water tankers to meet their needs for around a decade.
• When Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) expanded its water supply network, these tanker providers went out of business. So, they began asking residents for money to ensure the “safety of pipelines”.
• Residents of multiple societies said they had written to the GMDA to file a police complaint, but the GMDA hasn’t filed any complaint, highlighting that the society’s pipeline was the responsibility of the developer and not the GMDA.

The incident highlights the plight of residents amid the growing menace of tanker mafia in New Gurugram. It is learnt that people living in around 200 residential societies located along the Dwarka Expressway were being forced to pay “protection money” to the water mafia or buy tankers from them at exorbitant prices.

The RWA has spent around Rs 10 lakh in three months for repairing the pipeline and buying potable water through tankers. — Sunil Sareen, deputy convener, Dwarka Expressway Gurugram Development Association

Residents of the Emaar Imperial Gardens society said they were asked to pay Rs 50,000 to the tanker mafia, failing which their pipeline was damaged.

Many residential societies in the city had been dependent on water tankers to meet their daily requirements for around a decade.

When Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) expanded its water supply network, these tanker providers went out of business. So, they began asking residents for money to ensure the “safety of the pipelines in the area”.

Residents of Emaar Imperial Gardens society in Sector 102 woke up to a rude shock as their taps ran dry. Upon enquiry, they found out that the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority’s (GMDA) master pipeline was axed at multiple points.

They alleged that water suppliers had demanded Rs 50,000 from them a few days ago. The suppliers were coercing residents to pay the amount or purchase tankers at an exorbitant rate of Rs 5,000 for a 5,000-litre tanker, they added.

Residents have filed a complaint with the police, but a formal case was yet to be registered. Senior police officers said they had inspected the spot where pipeline was damaged and had decided to deploy a patrol team to prevent untoward incidents.

“The societies are not keen on filing an FIR in this regard, but we will investigate the matter on our own,” said official spokesperson of the Gurugram police.

Sunil Sareen, the deputy convener of the Dwarka Expressway Gurugram Development Association (DXP-GDA), said the pipeline was being damaged frequently.

He said, “A complaint was already lodged with the Dhankot police station, but to no avail. These miscreants or local goons have been demanding protection money, which we refused.”

“The resident welfare association (RWA) has spent around Rs 10 lakh in the past three months for repairing the pipeline and buying potable water through tankers. We also engaged a contractor to put soil on the new pipelines to prevent sabotage,” said Sareen, who is also a former RWA president of the Emaar Imperial Gardens society.

Residents of multiple societies said they had written to the GMDA to file a police complaint in this matter, but the GMDA has not filed any complaint in this regard, highlighting that the society’s pipeline was the responsibility of the developer and not the GMDA.

Yashesh Yadav, president of the Dwarka Expressway Welfare Association, said they were planning to meet the deputy commissioner of Gurugram to file a complaint.

“The goons are local residents and we want to organise a meeting to resolve this issue at the earliest. More than 200 residential societies have been impacted by the menace of tanker mafia. Besides, we have been left with no option but to pay money to get potable water,” he said.