Will this Administration ever learn?

  • Abhishek Behl / FG
  • India
  • Oct 10, 2014

 

 

 


Photo: Prakhar Pandey

Gurgaon city has been in a continuous mode of real estate activity, and the pace never seems to cease – even when there is a slump in demand. There was a sudden uptake in the number of licences issued in the last few months. The Administration and the builders are also oblivious of the current paucity of civic infrastructure, and the need to correct that first. The ‘new, new’ Gurgaon that is already springing up in the new sectors (58 to 115), is becoming a disjointed extension of the City. There has clearly been no learning. While the builders are busy constructing huge residential complexes on dusty fields in far off villages, and asking residents to move in, the lack of water, power and civic infrastructure is telling. The two major ‘peripheral’ roads, which were expected to change the real estate axis of the City, have been stuck for years in legal wranglings. The sector roads are yet to come up in the new sectors, particularly along the Dwarka Expressway (Northern Peripheral Road). While there has been some development along the Golf Course Extension Road (Southern Peripheral Road), a lot of work still has to be completed, before residents are asked to inhabit the area. Not surprisingly though, a number of builders who have almost ‘completed’ their residential projects are now offering ‘occupation’ to the home buyers - thus raising the spectacle of another bout of street protests, when people realise that the promises of facilities and maintenance have not been kept. Rajesh Kumar, a real estate broker on Bajghera Road, says that while projects might have got completed on paper, it is difficult to stay in these residences, as the access roads are not ready, the sector roads are still patchworks, the sewerage network is yet to be laid and there is no approved municipal water or power connection. Policing and healthcare exist only as markings on the map. In such a scenario, the buyers have been caught in the middle: they cannot move in And they cannot even move out. Currently there are few buyers, and therefore few exit opportunities, which is forcing them to stay invested in these projects. Many are today stuck in half-completed residential projects across Gurgaon. As one moves from the new sectors parallel to the ‘old’ Gurgaon railway station and towards Dhanwapur, the new (Dwarka) Expressway takes proper shape. Major real estate projects are coming up on both sides of the road. However, most are far from completion, and property brokers say that these would be delayed by 3 to 4 years.

The development in these new sectors was supposed to be different. The infrastructure and its specifications were to be as per the Gurgaon Manesar Urban Complex Development Plan 2031. However, the new sectors are primarily private builder territory, with HUDA as a developer not present in any sector. Therefore, rather than seeing a better, more integrated civic and social infrastructure in these new sectors, there are chances that there may be more of a ‘hundred-islands’ kind of set up. With the setting up of municipal infrastructure still years away, the residents (whoever are foolhardy, or fooled, enough) would be over-dependent on the hundred-odd builders for even basic facilities like power, water and sanitation – and would also pay through their noses. At present construction is on in full swing in and around Jahajgarh village, with hundreds of dumpers moving around on the new sector roads and the old village roads - raising so much dust that it is difficult to breathe. There are no signs of any power sub-stations, and power is being supplied over cables going to the villages. Drainage pipes have just arrived. One thing that is ubiquitous across this new new Gurgaon is the presence of a large number of rich villagers; they have turned into real estate agents and opened shops in their villages, or pitched tents, to sell the property that has come up on and around their village land (for a part of which they have also received remuneration). Sandeep Yadav, who owns property in different parts of Gurgaon and has been an early beneficiary of the real estate explosion, smiles when asked about the possibility of people coming to live soon in these new projects. "I don’t think it would be possible for someone to come and stay in an area that does not have proper connectivity, and lacks basic facilities and infrastructure. The government needs to first build the infrastructure, and must ensure that habitation and development come up hand in hand," says Yadav. In the newly developed Sectors 69 and 70 on Sohna Road, the residents of Tulip Orange can only reach their homes after passing through a narrow road that cuts across Badshahpur village. The extension of Southern Peripheral Road (towards NH8, after cutting through Sohna Road) is right behind this project site, but it has not yet been completed. Recently the residents of Tulip Orange had been forced to come out on the road to protest against the government and the builder, because of many issues, including poor sanitation conditions. The residents allege that vacant plots nearby have become dumping grounds for solid waste and sewage. These residents are learning the hard way. They strongly state that any homebuyers planning to live in the new sectors must ask their builders about the source of power, the availability of water, and  whether the Sewage Treatment Plant is functional – and check all this out themselves. Next in line of priority should be things like the availability of transport, healthcare and shopping areas. There should of course be no compromise on safety and security. If the basics are not right or not yet completed  by the builder, it would definitely be better to wait. Even if one has to continue to pay rent and live in a rented accommodation, it is better than coming to live in an undeveloped part of Gurgaon – where even many ‘developed’ areas are inadequate. Sanjeev Sharma, who has bought a flat in one of the projects in Sector 91, says that power connections are not available and the builders are using gensets to provide electricity - which is expensive and also causing pollution, that too in a greener part of the city. The Sewage Treatment Plants are yet to become functional, the shopping marts are half built, and the civic infrastructure is nowhere to be seen. Real estate experts predict that this  new new Gurgaon is another real estate horror story in the making, and is  an example of how urbanisation has become synonymous with ghettoisation. Pravesh Chouhan, a resident of Sultanpur village, close  to the Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary, says that government has not made  any provision for augmenting the water supply, and the entire ground  water is being fast depleted by the construction industry. "With lakhs of people coming to live in the new sectors, I don’t know from where the drinking water will come. There is no system created for sewage and wastage disposal yet," says Chouhan. Nobody has even thought of how the villages could be better integrated with the new development, especially after seeing that the villages in the current sectors have become basically concrete slums – or maybe they do  not (wish to) see at all. The problems of fast and haphazard rural urbanisation,  which were witnessed in current Gurgaon, would be revisited here. Some migrants have already taken up tenancy in the villages. Domestic workers, industrial staff and those working as support staff in commercial complexes  need a place to stay, but again no space has been planned for them in these new sectors. They will again be forced to live in ghettoised villages, which  will ultimately become concrete jungles. The village ponds, here too, are drying  up - covered by construction and ignored by neglect. Kamal Singh, a landowner  whose land was acquired by the government, says that builders too have a duty to protect and develop the villages (whatever is left after they have bought off  most of the land) – they should not leave everything on the govt. 

Multiple govt. agencies, working in anything but tandem, have been the bane  of this City – though individually they work wonderfully in tandem with  private builders (even dancing to their tunes). No one seems to have taken a  holistic view of the City’s future – the Master Plan was allegedly the handiwork  of 2 junior non-specialists in the local Town & Country Planning Dept. And this is the dept. that is supposed to then monitor the projects that have been  licensed. Any wonder then why just about anything goes here? Coming to a reality check …on our current sectors. A civil activist says that a major part  of even existing Gurgaon is still to be connected with the sewerage network. Many civil activists are of the view that pressure should be mounted on the govt. to at least ensure that the current EDC and IDC being collected should be spent well on time to build the infrastructure for the new sectors - so that  those new residents do not get to face the same problems that we have.  Civic work of all hues should be completed, and livable space created, before this new new Gurgaon becomes a new urban hub. Government officials however continue to ignore this reality…and are perhaps waiting to tell the future  residents what they tell us today: “’New’ Gurgaon grew so fast that we had no time to think or plan.” Gentlemen, there is enough time, money, technology  and expertise available, to at least ensure that the new sectors of the city are developed on the lines of what a Millennium City (or ‘smart city’ now) should be. The Administration must strictly monitor, regulate and penalise, to keep this development on the right track.


 
 

Comment

The Congress, with CM Hooda at the helm, has run its course and has shown itself to be biased against Gurgaon and aligned with builders. Nothing would seemingly change if they won.

The INLD has been waiting for long in the wings, and is fighting mostly without its leader. Its past does not give one confidence, especially for Gurgaon. However, people and parties do change, especially if a younger person were to take over as CM.

The BJP has never been much of a force, and has PM Modi to thank for getting it well off the ground here. However, they seemingly erred in dropping their ties with the HJC. It is an uphill task for them, even to be the numero uno Party.

HJC, on its own, is not quite there.

So it will probably be a hung Assembly…and an INLD-BJP govt.


Wake up, BJP stalwarts, at the Centre and in the States.

You are wrongfully making the PM go back to CM mode, because none of you seems to be able to deliver. You are making Modi even more indispensable, which is not good for the Party. If Amit Shah cannot help the Party to win in Maharashtra (or at least get near-majority votes), he should be held fully accountable. The PM’s campaigning is only a bonus. The Shiv Sena break off was allegedly Shah’s decision.


PM Modi, it’s time your various initiatives were implemented with full gusto in all Central institutions across the country and in all BJP-rules States. What is stopping this, and them?

 

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