Defunct for year, motors fixed 2 hours before minister’s visit in Gurgaon

Gurgaon: MCG officials turned an adage — where there's a will, there's a way — on its head. Since a Haryana minister was on the way, they developed the will to fix things delayed for a year. In a telling example of administrative apathy and sudden efficiency, a year-long delay in providing electricity to rainwater-lifting motors at Gulmohar Park in Sector 15 was mysteriously resolved just two hours before Union minister Rao Inderjit Singh's scheduled visit on Wednesday.

Speaking to the media during the visit, locals sarcastically remarked the minister should consider visiting the area more often. "Only when senior officials and ministers come do things actually move. The park is cleaned, water problems are addressed and the system seems to function," a Sector 15 resident said.

Interestingly, besides the power connection, residents noted the park was "freshly cleaned and the surrounding area beautified" just before the minister's visit, suggesting the transformation was more for "optics" than sustainable urban management.

The motors were part of a rainwater management system implemented by MCG to tackle waterlogging in the area during the monsoon. While the underground tank and pipelines to lift rainwater into the master drainage line were installed seven months ago, the motors remained non-functional due to the absence of an electricity connection — a detail conveniently overlooked by the authorities. Residents revealed the project to resolve waterlogging began three years ago after a direct appeal to the minister. Despite the infrastructure being laid down, the essential electricity connection remained pending for over a year. It wasn't until news of the minister's inspection visit that MCG officials hurriedly connected the power supply — just two hours before his arrival.