For the first Issue of the new year, it would be best to remind the new Administration and oursleves on the promises that we must keep. We have miles to go before we can rest…let alone sleep.
With the new State govt. settling down, and with hopes that it will be ‘different’ and that ‘achhe din ab aayenge’, FG would like to positively offer its support, and as always wish to be a part of the solution. Having seen Gurgaon up very close, in multiple spheres, and interacted with a wide cross-section of people, for over 3 years, we believe that the following actions would be most beneficial for the citizens of Gurgaon - and are very doable in the short term.
Water
- Start operating a water supply schedule, colony wise
- Inspect and repair all water pipelines
- Repair the Gurgaon Water Supply canal
- Provide power back up to the Basai Water Treatment Plant
Power
- Start operating a power supply schedule, colony wise
- Inspect and repair all sub-stations
- Ensure all private builders put up sub-stations wherever deficient (otherwise encash their bank guarantees and have the sub-stations set up by the govt. Authority)
Sanitation
- Start proper (Swachh) segregation of garbage at source (PPP)
- Appoint authorised e waste collection and disposal organisations (PPP)
- Set up paid public toilets across the City (PPP)
- Ensure all schools have functional & separate girls’ toilets (PPP)
Security
- Focus on safety of women & children
- Ensure all streetlights are made functional across the City
- Innovatively tackle the menace of ‘snatchings’
- Involve RWAs, ex-armed forces personnel & senior citizens in colony policing
- Appoint and involve many more Road Safety Officers in traffic management
- Involve school and college children, including those in villages, in road safety campaigns
- Ensure visible Police presence on the roads, especially after dark
- Keep a special look out around liquor vends and ‘ahatas’/bars
- Continue all other citizen friendly and criminal deterrent initiatives that have been undertaken by the Police over the past year
Owners/Residents vs. Builders
- Set up a special RWA Cell under the DC or MCG Commissioner, which will resolve all ongoing RWA-Builder issues, and ensure that builders are made fully accountable for their omissions and wrongful actions
Public Transport
- Increase the frequency of the City Bus service substantially
- Set up Bus shelters at all designated bus stops
- Ensure all autos are metered
EWS Housing
- Allot (on rental or sale basis) the many ready but vacant EWS apartments in various private and govt. Colonies
Unauthorised Colonies
- Urgently provide them basic civic services, especially those that have already been (recently) regularised
e Civic Services
- Set up an ‘e resolution’ framework for the availability and delivery of all basic citizen services
Skill Development
- Designate that the local ITI will now be run on a PPP basis, with multiple industry stakeholders (PPP)
Village Develoopment
- Take up the redevelopment (and ‘integration’) of a village within current Gurgaon City. This initiative should then be included in the 2031 Master Plan, so that it applies to all villages in the new sectors.
- Develop this initiative into a benchmark ‘Rurban’ initiative
Disaster Management
- Develop and test the plans for coping with an earthquake, a big fire, excessive pollution or a terrorist attack.
Areas where Public Private Partnership could be very beneficial, and should be resorted to, have been marked (PPP). Gurgaon should soon become a Benchmark City for: e Waste, e Civic Services, Swachh Garbage Segregation, Public Toilets, Girls Toilets in Schools, Traffic Management through Road Safety Officers and ITI PPP. Separately, plans for the following longer term Benchmark projects should be drawn up: Solar Energy, Non-Motorised Transport and Wifi services.
Further:
- The maintenance of the entire City needs to be transferred to MCG – including all private colonies, HUDA and Housing Board areas. Requisite manpower and funds from other departments need to be transferred to MCG.
- People should not be allowed to take up residence in the new sectors (58 to 115) of Gurgaon until a formal water and power connection is sanctioned to the project/RWA/society.
- Master Plan 2031 should be revisited, especially in light of the deficiencies in the current City areas. In fact, a White Paper on Gurgaon needs to first be prepared, pointing out the current issues, challenges and discrepancies.
- Most importantly, the local administrators need to stop deflecting the problems to each other, citing jurisdiction. If boundaries for tackling crime are being abolished, surely any civil matter can be helpfully resolved by any administrator.
Let’s all help make Gurgaon the ‘New India Model City’.
Happy New Year to all FG readers
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