The residents of Ward No. 5, which comprises a major part of the unauthorised areas around the IAF Ammunition Depot, Ashok Vihar Phase 3, Sheetla Colony, Carterpuri Village, Palam Vihar Extn., Sector 23A and Sheetla Colony, are quite happy with the performance of their Councillor, Gaje Singh Kablana. He has been fighting for their rights in both the High Court and the Supreme Court for the last couple of years. It has been due to his efforts that they no longer fear nor face the spectre of demolition drives. Kablana had sought relief from the Punjab High Court, which stayed the demolition of all constructions that had been built till 2011. However, while the residents continue to express confidence in their Councillor, what has not stopped troubling them is the lack of infrastructure and development in their area. Despite the High Court’s direction that water, power and basic amenities should be given to the residents of the ‘unauthorised/disputed’ area(s), Kablana tells Friday Gurgaon that the District Administration had not acted on this in letter and spirit. Recently, however, MCG has agreed to repair and renovate Mata Road, Sarai Road, Carterpuri Road and the road to the Gaushala. Kablana is critical of the new government, for its failure to empower the urban local bodies despite promising this during the elections. "The State government had recently said that the Mayor would be given financial powers, and Councillors would have a major say in the operations of civic agencies in their wards. There has been no change to date," says Kablana. In his opinion, MCG Gurgaon is more a bureaucratic agency than a body that is involved in the development and maintenance of the City. "I have repeatedly asked MCG to set up schools in each zone, if not each ward. The Education ‘industry’ has completely commercialised Gurgaon. Government intervention is urgently needed in education," asserts Kablana.
To ensure that the residents get some respite, the Councillor has tied up with local RWAs to build streets, put up street lights and provide basic lanes and drains - even in a number of unauthorised colonies. The major development work in the Ward has taken place in village Carterpuri, where almost Rs. 8.5 crores has been spent on developing roads, setting up a community centre, and on building a number of choupals in the village for different communities. The water supply system has also been ravamped, and a number of other minor development works taken up as well. Kablana regrets that areas like Om Vihar, Dharm Colony, Ashok Vihar and Sheetla Colony are suffering due to MCG’s apathy towards ‘unauthorised’ colonies. The residents of Sheetla Colony in particular are unhappy with the functioning of the Corporation, as they have been repeatedly demanding a better road and infrastructure around the Sheetla Mata temple. A resident says that thousands of people visit the Temple every year, and it is sad that adequate civic facilities are not made available to them. The road to ‘peer baba’ from the Temple is broken, there is garbage strewn around, and pigs roam freely. Kablana says that he has repeatedly raised the matter in House meetings, but to no avail. “Unless the MCG Act is changed, and the elected representatives empowered, the ground situation is not going to change,” he rues. The residents of Dharm Colony say that even more problematic (than the poor roads) is the lack of water and power connections to the people who have built their houses prior to 2011. “With summer coming soon, we will be made to suffer again, despite the High Court’s direction,” says a resident. There are also no streetlights or parks in the area. Those living in the disputed area also ask why no action has been taken against the constructions in HUDA sectors and Udyog Vihar, which also fall in the 900 meters disputed area. Locals rue that they only see the might of the State, and never its welfare face.
The majority of the residents in Ashok Vihar, a Kablana stronghold, have come from Sonipat and Rohtak, and they are confident that better development will come their way if MCG Councillors are given more powers and resources. Kablana asserts, "I am fighting this case on behalf of the people and I will take it to its logical conclusion.” It is also because of this people-oriented attitude that he got 20,000 votes in the recent State polls when he fought as a candidate from Gurgaon.
Of course there are critics who say that the Councillor has ‘performed’ only in areas from where he got votes. The development work in the Ward should be uniform, aver some residents; after all, that is also what the Councillor is asking for from the State.
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