The Delhi High Court has directed the Delhi government’s chief secretary to submit a report assigning responsibility and fixing timelines for resolving recurring waterlogging and traffic congestion in Mahipalpur, a key corridor near the Indira Gandhi International Airport and the road to Gurugram.
A bench of Justices Prathiba M. Singh and Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora criticised the functioning of the National Highways Authority of India, Delhi International Airport Limited and other agencies involved in the area. The court said that despite several meetings and extensive paperwork, no agency had been clearly assigned responsibility for resolving the drainage and traffic problems.
The court’s directions came during the hearing of a petition filed by the NGO Social Jurist. The case concerns the repeated accumulation of rainwater and the resulting traffic disruption in Mahipalpur, where airport-bound and Gurugram-bound traffic converge with local movement.
The bench said agencies should have taken the waterlogging problem seriously after seeing photographs of the affected area. According to the report of the proceedings, the court observed that the absence of a designated agency responsible for the problem had contributed to delays in finding a solution.
The chief secretary has been directed to continue coordinating meetings and file a report before the next hearing. The report must identify short-term and long-term measures, the agency or institution responsible for each measure, the steps to be taken and the timeline for implementation.
The court has also directed the agencies assigned responsibility to file their own status reports. The next hearing has been scheduled for October 30. These reports are expected to clarify which institution will undertake specific drainage, road and traffic-related interventions in the area.
The directions follow earlier proceedings in which the Delhi government was asked to examine the possibility of creating an effective system for removing rainwater from the locality. Meetings chaired by the chief secretary were subsequently held, including discussions involving agencies working on large-scale infrastructure projects in the area.
During those meetings, the chief secretary had instructed the agencies to ensure integrated drainage connectivity. However, the High Court found that the meetings held between August 4 and September 7 had not resulted in a clear ground-level division of responsibilities. The court noted that the administrative process had produced documentation but had not established which agency or company would execute particular works.
Mahipalpur’s location makes the issue significant for both daily commuters and airport users. Waterlogging on the corridor can disrupt traffic on routes connecting the airport, Delhi and Gurugram, while congestion affects local residents, commercial activity and workers travelling through the area. The court’s order places the immediate focus on converting inter-agency discussions into identified works, accountable institutions and time-bound action.
The chief secretary’s report and the status reports from the concerned agencies will be considered at the October 30 hearing. They are expected to set out the proposed short-term and long-term measures for drainage connectivity, water removal and traffic management in Mahipalpur.
