{
  "type": "article",
  "title": "Gravel Left Forgotten for Two Years on Faridabad's Sotai-Bahbalpur Road, Leaving 20 Villages Struggling for Basic Infrastructure",
  "summary": "A crucial road connecting Sotai to Bahbalpur in Faridabad has remained unpaved with loose gravel for two years, impacting over 20 villages. Despite being merged into the Municipal Corporation, local residents face neglect and stalled development.",
  "content": "A decade after Faridabad was included in the Smart City initiative, the ground reality in its surrounding rural areas presents a starkly different picture. The main thoroughfare connecting Sotai village to Bahbalpur village has been in a severe state of disrepair for several years. This route is not merely a local connection between two points; it extends through Fatehpur Billoch to Palwal, serving as the primary travel corridor for residents across more than 20 villages. With repair work incomplete and crushed stones scattering across the stretch, daily commuters face continuous hazards.\n\nTwo Years of Unfinished Roadwork and Loose Gravel\nAkash Tewatia, a resident of Sotai village, explained that local living conditions have deteriorated sharply ever since the village was brought under the jurisdiction of the Municipal Corporation. According to Akash Tewatia, crushed gravel was dumped on the road about two years ago to begin construction, but the project was abruptly abandoned. Over time, the laid gravel has loosened and spread across the path. Motorcyclists frequently skid on the loose stones and sustain injuries, leading many commuters to avoid using this primary route altogether.\n\nCollapsing Sanitation and Overflowing Village Ponds\nInfrastructural neglect in the region extends beyond damaged roads. Drainage and basic sanitation in Sotai and neighboring areas have also reached a critical point. The village pond (johad) is filled to capacity with dirty water and regularly overflows onto nearby pathways. Sandeep Kumar, another local resident, pointed out that no municipal sanitation workers are deployed to clean the village drains. The lack of maintenance has caused persistent foul odors and stagnant water accumulation. Sandeep Kumar noted that a city cannot truly become a smart city if its constituent villages are deprived of fundamental amenities.\n\nImpact of Municipal Merger and Administrative Shift\nFarmer leader Bablu Hooda attributed the ongoing negligence to administrative restructuring and political friction. He highlighted that in 2022, during the tenure of then Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, 24 villages were forcibly merged into the Faridabad Municipal Corporation. Residents recall that local development projects moved smoothly when traditional village panchayats and sarpanches managed local affairs. Since the merger, municipal councillors and officials have reportedly paid little attention to ground-level problems.\n\nPolitical Deadlock Over Constituency Development Grants\nThe affected villages fall within the Prithla assembly constituency, currently represented by Congress MLA Raghubir Singh Tewatia. Farmer leader Bablu Hooda stated that the MLA, who won his seat with approximately 70,000 votes, raised the issue of rural road connectivity in the state assembly. While each legislator is typically entitled to an annual development fund of 1 crore rupees, allegations have surfaced that the Saini administration has withheld grants from the opposition MLA for three consecutive years. Without access to these funds, essential public works in the constituency remain stalled.\n\nGap Between Rural Reality and National Growth Slogans\nFaridabad joined the Smart City list back in 2014, while national discussions frequently focus on visions like 2047 Viksit Bharat and inclusive development slogans. Local leaders reference former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh's belief that true national progress originates in rural India, where many of the nation's soldiers and sports achievers are raised. Despite these ideals, the continued neglect of a key road linking 20 villages underscores the growing gap between policy commitments and rural infrastructure.\n\nWhat this means for you\nImpact on Faridabad's Rural Belt: The prolonged delay in road repairs and neglected sanitation directly disrupt daily transit and health conditions across more than 20 villages.\n\n• Across Haryana: The administrative friction following the merger of rural areas into municipal corporations highlights systemic funding delays for newly added urban-rural fringes.\n• In Faridabad and Palwal: Residents traveling between Sotai, Bahbalpur, and Fatehpur Billoch face heightened daily commute risks, increased travel time, and higher vehicle maintenance costs.\n• Commuter Safety: Loose gravel on the unpaved surface causes frequent motorcycle accidents, resulting in routine injuries to daily travelers.\n• Public Health: Overflowing village ponds and uncleaned drainage channels create persistent foul odors and stagnant water hazards in residential areas.\n• Local Development: The withholding of constituency development funds directly delays key infrastructure repairs needed by local communities.\n\nWhy this happened\nThe incomplete roadwork and worsening civic conditions are driven by administrative delays following municipal expansion and political disagreements over constituency fund allocation.\n\n• Incomplete Construction: Gravel was laid on the road stretch approximately two years ago, but final paving was never executed, leaving loose stones scattered over time.\n• Municipal Expansion Issues: The forced merger of 24 villages into the Faridabad Municipal Corporation in 2022 disrupted traditional panchayat-led maintenance without providing effective municipal services in return.\n• Stalled Development Grants: Allegations indicate that annual development grants of 1 crore rupees for the opposition MLA representing Prithla have been withheld for three years, leaving local works unfunded.\n• Lack of Municipal Oversight: Local councillors and civic authorities have failed to address basic sanitation issues, leaving village ponds overflowing and drainage lines uncleaned.\n\nQuestions & Answers\n\n1. Which road in Faridabad has been left incomplete for two years?\nThe main road connecting Sotai village to Bahbalpur village has remained unfinished with loose gravel for two years.\n\n2. How many villages rely on this road for daily commuting?\nMore than 20 villages use this route to travel towards Fatehpur Billoch and Palwal.\n\n3. What problems are commuters facing on this stretch?\nThe loose gravel causes motorcycles to skid and crash, leading to frequent injuries and prompting commuters to avoid the route.\n\n4. When were these villages merged into the Municipal Corporation?\nIn 2022, during the tenure of then Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, 24 villages were merged into the Faridabad Municipal Corporation.\n\n5. Who is the local MLA and what is the dispute regarding development grants?\nRaghubir Singh Tewatia of the Congress party is the MLA from Prithla. Allegations state that his annual development grant of 1 crore rupees has been withheld for three years.",
  "url": "https://trendkia.com/en/haryana/pharidabada-ke-sotai-bahbalpur-marga-para-do-sala-se-bikhari-hai-gitti-20-ganvon-ki-abadi-buniyadi-suvidhaon-ke-lie-tarasi-32428",
  "category": "Haryana",
  "publishedAt": "2026-09-15",
  "tags": [
    "Faridabad News",
    "Sotai Village",
    "Bahbalpur",
    "Haryana Roads",
    "Smart City Faridabad",
    "Prithla Constituency",
    "Raghubir Singh Tewatia",
    "Faridabad Municipal Corporation"
  ],
  "language": "en",
  "site": "TrendKia"
}