1 week ago
Gurugram's Flooded Roads Expose the Cost of Privileged Urban Living
Heavy rain flooded roads in Gurugram and trapped several school buses.
The buses held young children and could not move for hours.
One parent, Siddharth Kasid, walked through very deep water to help his daughter and other children.
He was angry because he believed the city’s systems and authorities had failed them.
Wealthy residents can often use private cars, homes, schools, and hospitals to avoid many public problems.
But roads, drains, buses, and footpaths are shared by everyone.
The writer says the government must provide better infrastructure.
The writer also says privileged residents should stay involved and demand improvements instead of escaping the problems.
Siddharth Kasid, a Gurugram investment banker, waded through waist-deep water to help rescue children stranded on a highway.
Several school buses carrying children reportedly remained stuck for hours because flooded roads blocked traffic.
Kasid blamed poor civic infrastructure and a lack of communication from authorities despite residents paying high taxes and rents.
The incident highlighted how gated communities can shield affluent residents from problems faced by people using public roads and transport.
The writer argues that public infrastructure must improve and privileged residents should demand accountability rather than wall themselves off or simply move away.
- Who
- Siddharth Kasid, his daughter and other children in stranded school buses, affected Gurugram residents, and local authorities.
- What
- Flooded roads trapped school buses, forcing Kasid to wade through waist-deep water to help rescue children.
- Where
- On a highway in Gurugram, near Uniworld Gardens and other affected roads.
- When
- During the monsoon flooding; the article does not specify a date.
- Why
- Poor civic infrastructure and flooded roads disrupted transport and left authorities unable, in Kasid’s account, to provide adequate communication or assistance.
Residents demanding accountability
Critique of privileged escape
Responsibility for basic infrastructure
Residents demanding accountability
Residents argue that the government must maintain roads and drainage, communicate during emergencies, and be held accountable, especially when people pay taxes.
Critique of privileged escape
The writer agrees that government accountability is necessary but says privileged residents must stop walling themselves off from the wider public and shared infrastructure.
Whether to leave Gurugram
Residents demanding accountability
Kasid said his family was seriously considering moving out of Gurugram after the academic year because they face the same flooding problems repeatedly.
Critique of privileged escape
The article presents moving away as an option available mainly to people with enough money, while most residents must continue living with inadequate infrastructure.
Private comfort versus public systems
Residents demanding accountability
Affluent residents can use gated housing, private vehicles, schools, and healthcare, but the flooding showed that private comforts cannot fully protect families from public failures.
Critique of privileged escape
The writer argues that these private advantages create an island of privilege and can distance residents from the daily hardships faced by people using public roads, buses, shared rickshaws, and footpaths.
Key facts
- Resident involved
- Siddharth Kasid, a 39-year-old resident of Uniworld Gardens, Gurugram
- Occupation
- Works at an investment bank
- Water depth
- Kasid waded through waist-deep water
- People affected
- Children as young as four and five were reportedly stuck in school buses
- Duration
- Several school buses remained stationary for hours
- Main problem
- Flooded roads linked in the article to poor civic infrastructure
- Broader concern
- Public roads, sewage and stormwater drains, public transport, and footpaths affect people beyond gated communities
Quotes
The affected Gurgaon parent, identified in the article as Siddharth Kasid
A Gurgaon resident whose daughter and other children were stranded in a school bus during flooding
“Gurgaon is simply not worth living in anymore. We don’t want to live here. My family goes through this hell every single year despite the high taxes we pay to the government and the hefty rents. We are now seriously mulling moving out of Gurgaon once this academic session ends.”
indianexpress.com
“In my professional life, I manage a team of 45 people, and we make sure there is basic courtesy and communication; here, the authorities showed none.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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