Gurgaon Report Card - last 12 months

  • FG Bureau
  • India
  • Jun 19, 2015
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FG has run a Gurgaon Report Card for 3 years now. Many residents still await the delivery of basic civic amentiies and services – both from the Administration and private ‘developers’. MCG remains a non-starter. The Gurgaon II (new sectors) story promises to be bleaker.

Gurgaon Report Card - last 12 months
(Issue 52, Volume 3: August 15-21, 2014)

Where We Fared Poorly
(almost all items have featured in the same column in the last 2 years)

  • Erratic & inadequate Water supply; bursting of major pipelines; there is no power back up at the Water Treatment Plant.
  • Erratic & inadequate Power supply; sub-stations have still not been set up in most private builder areas (despite collection of EDC decades ago).
  • A disconnected Sewage network, no separate storm water drains, poor garbage collection, waste lying untreated and seeping into the ground at the Bandhwari Waste Treatment Plant (which has now been shut for about nine months), and no separate space for dumping and/or treatment of malba & e-waste
  • Ineffective Water Harvesting.
  • Illegal bore wells feeding new construction sites.
  • Only one City Bus Shelter constructed (5 constructed to date)
  • Renovation of the Bus Stand & Railway Station not carried out (Railway Station now started)
  • One too many accidental deaths and suicides taking place on the railway tracks.
  • Many autos, specially share autos, still running without a fare rate/meter.
  • Road repairs remain ‘surface deep’ – the first rains (thankfully there have hardly been any) pothole the roads.
  • Toll Plaza chaos at Kherki Daula now; a new operator is appointed.
  • MG Road renovation on-going for over a year; Northern and Southern Peripheral Roads (NPR, SPR) remain incomplete - dogged by court cases and inaction by the State on rehabilitation decisions.
  • Hero Honda Chowk issues not resolved – even the traffic light plan is shelved. 
  • Multiple FOBs/underpasses are planned and announcements made – there is little progress.
  • Completion of the Jaipur Highway (NH8) extra-ordinarily delayed; it’s been almost a decade now.
  • An unauthorised Parking mess spans the City; multi-level parking sites still being debated.
  • No growth in jobs in the IT/BPO, Auto & Export sectors. Udyog Vihars sorely lack infrastructure; Manesar now a sham of a Model Industrial Township.
  • No closure in the Maruti violence case, even after 2 years – 150+ workers still languish in jail.
  • Demand for Real Estate, especially Commercial, is at an all-time low.
  • The SC ruling in the Silver Oaks case allegedly goes against the rights of residents.
  • Many private builder areas continue to have poor facilities and maintenance, leading to multiple protests on the road; 100 buyers land up at a Unitech construction site, offering themselves as ‘labour’, to make up for the repeated delays.
  • Gurgaon II (new sectors) residents have started occupying apartments without authorised water and power supply, or sewage connections.
  • Haryana Lokayukta finds Chief Parliamentary Secretary Fauji guilty of corruption; the State govt. gets the High Court to stay further action. 
  • The ‘bogus votes’ case against State Minister Sukhbir Kataria and others, completes a 5-year term – 8 FIRs have been filed.
  • The ex-Chief Judicial Magistrate’s wife’s ‘murder’ case still remains unresolved.
  • ‘Carjackings’/snatchings are a daily phenomenon.
  • The Bangladeshi influx continues unabated.
  • Unauthorised Colonies languish and residents are denied basic civic services, despite a ‘decision’ taken by the State to regularise a majority of them.
  • Residents of the restricted area near the IAF Depot also await provision of basic civic services, promised by the High Court; however, clandestine new construction continues in this area.
  • Despite the denotification of Reliance and other SEZs, the land has not been returned to the farmers. 
  • EWS Housing remains on paper only; hundreds of apartments and plots lie idle.
  • A ‘Tree Act’ for Gurgaon/Haryana has not been instituted.
  • The Aravallis continue to be exploited (may change now)
  • RTE implementation deadline has been extended; no action taken against defaulters.
  • The ‘new’ Sector 10 Civil Hospital is ‘still born’.
  • Piped Gas remains a pipe dream for most.
  • CNG supply is erratic and inadequate - queues remain long throughout the day.
  • Cow smuggling is fairly rampant.
  • The ad hoc & quick transfers of the Senior Administration of the City continue; we now have another MCG Commissioner and HUDA Administrator (this time a two-in-one).
  • The Mayor(s) and Councillors remain ineffective.
  • MCG role still limited to the Village Abadies only.
  • MCG House Meetings hardly take place; when they do, there are hardly any decisions taken; the MCG Portal is mostly down.
  • MCG finds that hundreds of acres of its land have been encroached.
  • The levy of House Tax, a major revenue earner for MCG, is under ‘debate’ and has been legally challenged; collections are therefore sub-optimal.
  • DC frankly admits that he cannot sometimes distinguish between his jurisdiction and that of HUDA and MCG (or even private builders).
  • Even AAP has deserted Gurgaon (Haryana) during the upcoming State elections.


Where We Did Well

  • No cases of major organised crime.
  • A new Cyber Crime cell has been set up.
  • Extensive police drives undertaken on drunk driving, over-speeding, underage driving and school bus operations.
  • Snatching made a non-bailable offence and jail term also enhanced (in Haryana).
  • Traffic has improved in many areas, with the presence of more policemen on the road, and regular checks. 
  • Prepaid auto booths started under the vigilance of the Traffic Police.
  • City Bus service is fairly regular, and covers the City well.
  • Sirhaul Toll Plaza is removed.
  • A few RTI activists keep the State govt. on its toes.  
  • COMPAT confirms its order and penalty against DLF.    
  • The Supreme Court sends a team to inspect the status of mining and quarrying in the Aravallis.
  • There are cases of positive RWA activism against errant builders.
  • DC chairs a Grievance Committee Meeting and pulls up private builders on the plaints of RWA Heads (discontinued)
  • Lokayukta steps in for residents in Mayfield Gardens and Ambience cases.
  • Chandubudhera Water Treatment Plant starts operations; water supply starts from the NCR Canal.
  • Dhanwapur Sewage Treatment Plant starts operations.
  • Medical Tourism flourishes.
  • Cyber Hub becomes the new ‘happening’ venue. 
  • Gurgaon residents are found to be the most prosperous in India, in a survey.
  • A platform roof of the Railway Station goes ‘solar’.
  • The Biodiversity Park (thankfully) remains fairly untouched.
  • The Raahgiri initiative is a success and is here to stay.
 

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