Car Owner Sends Legal Notice to Civic Body After Mercedes Damaged in Waterlogging, Seeks ₹5 Lakh Compensation
Car Owner Sends Legal Notice to Civic Body After Mercedes Damaged in Waterlogging, Seeks ₹5 Lakh Compensation
A resident of Vasundhara in Ghaziabad has served a legal notice to the Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation (GMC), holding it responsible for damage to his car caused by waterlogging during heavy rainfall on July 23. He has demanded ₹5 lakh to cover the repair costs, along with additional compensation for the inconvenience faced.
Amit Kishore, who lives in Sector 11 of Vasundhara, was driving his Mercedes-Benz GLA 200D through Lajpat Nagar in Sahibabad when the vehicle became stranded in deep water due to flooding. According to Kishore, the car remained stuck for nearly two hours and eventually broke down completely.
“It just wouldn’t start again. I had to arrange a crane to take it to a service centre in Noida, which has said that the repair would cost an estimated Rs 5 lakh,” he told TOI.
The car, purchased in 2018 for ₹60 lakh, had to be towed from the flooded area. Kishore claims it was in proper working condition before the incident and blames the waterlogging for the mechanical and electronic failure.
Through his advocate, Prem Prakash, Kishore has sent a legal notice to the Municipal Commissioner of Ghaziabad, Vikramaditya Singh Malik. The notice accuses the civic body of failing to perform its responsibilities, especially with regard to drainage maintenance.
“Your failure to fulfil your statutory duties under the Municipal Corporation Act, Public Health Acts, and Environmental Protection Laws, as well as your breach of duty of care owed to the residents, makes you liable for financial, physical, and mental damages caused to my client and others similarly affected,” the notice states.
It also warns that if the civic body does not respond within 15 days, legal action will be taken through appropriate forums including the High Court or Lokayukta.
This is not Kishore’s first action on civic issues. He has previously approached the National Green Tribunal (NGT), seeking the removal of drain encroachments and demanding regular cleaning of drainage systems in Vasundhara.
When contacted, Municipal Commissioner Vikramaditya Singh Malik questioned the claim.
“If the waterlogging caused his vehicle to break down, why didn’t the same happen to other vehicles parked on the same street? On July 23, there was excessive rainfall, and IMD issued alerts as well. It led to waterlogging across NCR, but there were no other reports of vehicle breakdowns caused solely by it,” he said.
Despite the commissioner’s response, several local residents have supported Kishore’s stand. They argue that waterlogging has been a repeated issue in many parts of Ghaziabad, particularly in trans-Hindon areas such as Vasundhara, Indirapuram, and Vaishali.
“Waterlogging is a major problem in trans-Hindon areas, especially Indirapuram, Vaishali, and Vasundhara. Waterlogging persists in these areas due to encroached, clogged drains and delayed, ineffective cleaning by the municipal corporation. The sanitation staffers simply leave sludge along the roadside until rains wash it back in,” said Roy Tapan Bharti, a long-time resident of Sector 16 in Vasundhara.
Kishore insists that the matter is not just about his own vehicle. He says it highlights larger issues of poor civic maintenance and lack of accountability, especially during monsoon months. His legal action calls for immediate and lasting solutions to prevent such situations in the future.
