Civic Problems in Gurgaon

In Gurgaon, civic issues are a major point of concern for the city's residents. More than malls and multiplexes, the city's residents want civic amenities such as water and power,transportation, higher education and law and order among others.

This is evident from the fact that the residents of Gurgaon have time and again taken up innovative measures to get some civic problem or the other in their locality sorted quickly.

A case in point is the September 2008 protest held by CEOs of various companies against the civic authority for dumping garbage near DLF City.
As part of their protest, they even named the crossing Kachra Chowk.

This got the desired result as the civic body immediately stopped dumping garbage.

Click On Image For Large View..

In another case, in April 2009, executives of some companies in Sector 18 renamed a road as Anaath (orphan) Road since no agency was willing to construct the road. The road was built soon after that.

As part of our focus on Gurgaon, Hindustan Times has carried two editorial series-Gurgaon Collapsing and Gurgaon First-to highlight such civic problems and to find solutions to them.

Recently HT conducted an extensive study in which 3,000 Gurgaon residents were questioned on the city's civic issues.

The findings of the study were startling as 78 per cent of the respondents said they were willing to pay any premium price for uninterrupted water supply and 81 per cent said the same for power supply. Likewise, the study revealed 93 per cent said that power shortage was a major problem in Gurgaon and 78 per cent favoured privatization of electricity.

The survey also revealed that the absence of higher education avenues was the third major problem in Gurgaon. Lack of public transportation was the fourth major problem in Gurgaon, while law and order came up as the fifth major issue in Gurgaon with 68 per cent saying there had been a rise in crime in the city.

sanjeev.ahuja@hindustantimes.com

Water remains stagnant in the low-lying areas (above) and a road has been under construction for months (below)

The residents welfare asso- ciation (RWA) of the sector has left no stone unturned to put pressure on HUDA to expedite the pending work but it has failed to move the officials.

ROADS
The internal roads are in a pathetic condition with stones scattered on most stretches, making the movement of vehi- cles as well as pedestrians very difficult. Area residents say that the HUDA is supposed to fin- ish the repair work on these internal stretches. The work was supposed to be finished a year back but it has not been completed so far.

"There is a lot of hindrance on the road during monsoon because of the rubble. We have no option but to avoid these damaged stretches," said D. R. Yadav, RWA president.

Even after repeated reminders, HUDA has not taken note of the plight of the resi- dents or acted against the con- tractor.

DRAINAGE Due to severe waterlogging on most stretches and low-lying areas, which is vacant and unat- tended, there are a lot of mos- quitoes in the area. The resi- dents have been demanding a proper drainage system.

dhananjay.jha@hindustantimes.com

Source: Hindustan Times By Dhananjay Jha Basic facilities such as internal roads, drainage and streetlights missing In Sector 9-A

Because of the proximity of MG road and different malls these apartments are always in high demand. The whole apartments are covering more than 11 acres of land. But still there is no proper entrance into these apartments. Present main thoroughfare leading to Sahara Grace Apartments is in bad shape due to encroachments by petty vendors. The width of the road is 30 feet only.

According to Haryana Government Apartments Act any residential area having more than 11 acres of land must have 60 feet thoroughfare," says Balraj Malhotra, an executive member of Sahara Grace Owner's Association Sadly the existing road is now encroached upon by the vendors on the both sides.  Last month there was an incident of fire in the apartments but the fire tenders could not enter the area due to encroachments by the vendors and the presence of so many cable wires in the area. Feeder service had to be used to douse the fire, explains some of the residents.

The pitches of the road are in pathetic condition. Pitches have worn out at the entrance of the main road. The road remains dark once it is dusk. "For the ladies and girls it is always very difficult to take the road due to presence of the anti-social elements at the food vendors' stalls. It is very difficult to enter into the road in cars as rickshaw pullers keep on occupying the road all the time. There prevails a kind of chaotic situation in the area. PCR vans are also found to keep on waiting on the same spot but they never bother to control the situation," alleges Kiran Dutta, a resident of the area.

The presence of the wine shop simply frightens the residents not to take the road once it is dusk. Boozers throng into the place.

"Last year we met the municipal commissioner of Gurgaon and appraised the matter to him. He immediately took action and removed all the vendors selling food there.  After few days now the same situation prevails there. There is no respite from the menace. We even appealed him to plant saplings on both sides of the road as to discourage encroachment and we are yet to get any response from the authority," says Kapil Dutta, president Sahara Grace Owner's Association.

Though HUDA has collected external development charge (EDC) for many facilities, it has failed to deliver in reality.

"It is a sanctioned township developed by the Eros Group as per the HUDA rules. It is sad to see that even after a decade, basic amenities like proper roads and sewage have not been pro- vided," says Rajender Dubey, president, Wembley Estate wel- fare association.

DRINKING WATER
After a lot of persuasion, HUDA lay down water pipelines a few months ago but water sup- ply is still not being provided by the authorities."We are still dependent on the builder and private tankers for the water supply," adds Dubey.

SECTOR ROAD
The most important issue, however, is repair work of the sector road connecting Wembley Estate and South City-II club.Sewer water has been flowing onto the road for the past sev- eral months. This main road connecting the area with the city is in a very dilapidated con- dition. With potholes lining the entire stretch, movement of vehicles and pedestrians is impossible. The stagnant water is also a health hazard.

dhananjay.jha@hindustantimes.com

Source: Hindustan Times By Dhananjay Jha Wembley Estate: Residents Blame HUDA For There No Proper Water Supply & Dilapidated Roads

• DRAINAGE

• STREETLIGHTS

Established with an objective to improve civic amenities in the cyber city, the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) has miserably failed to deliver.

The MCG, which is going to complete two years of its inception within a few days, has focused more on filling up its own coffers than ensuring the provision of services it was meant for.

Thanks to the chronic inefficiency of MCG officials and rampant corruption prevalent in the civic body, coupled with "matching performances" of the other government departments, the quality of life in the millennium city has deteriorated for the common man.

A number of roads and streets continue to be in bad shape, most frequented public places, like the local bus stand and civil hospital lacks basic hygiene and civic amenities, and encroachments galore across the city. Needless to mention, most projects undertaken by the MCG are going on at their own sweet and slow "sarkaari" pace.

"The only difference it (MCG) has made is to impose House Tax, apart from adding to the already complicated multiplicity of authorities in the city," said Shiv Kumar Sharma, a local resident.

Source: The Tribune By Sunit Dhawan Millennium City's Harsh Reality

The residents are upset because sewage water is stag- nating in the open land inside the colony near gate no 3. It is in close proximity to the Ardee School, which is directly affect- ed as well.

"Many parents have com- plained to our association. They want us to put pressure on the management," says T. N. Kaul, general secretary of the resi- dents welfare association (RWA), Ardee City.

The association is in touch with the management and has urged it to look for a solution.

The RWA recently wrote a letter to the management. It mentioned the resentment among the residents whose houses are close to gate no 3.

dhananjay.jha@hindustantimes.com

Source: Hindustan Times By Dhananjay Jha Mosquito Menace: They Have Been Breeding In The Stagnant Sewage Water In An Open Plot In Ardee City

The roads have not been repaired in the past seven years. They are in a bad condition and have huge potholes. "We have met the HUDA authorities twice, from the junior engineer to the administrator, in order to put pressure for road repair work.But there has been no impact.
They are very positive when it comes to giving assurances but there is no action at the ground level," said Pyare Lal Verma, president of the RWA.

The condition of the roads deteriorated during last mon- soon. The RWA members met the sub-divisional officer (SDO), executive engineer and the jun- ior engineer (JE). The associ- ation came to know through the right to information (RTI) that the HUDA had cleared a budg- et for the repair of the colony roads in 2008, but the execution could not take place. "It is surprising that a budget was allocated but the work has not been executed," said Chandra Bhan, general secretary of the RWA.

"The HUDA is least con- cerned about the condition of the roads in our colony despite a budget being allocated for the job," said Arjun Dev, a resident. However, HUDA officials are tightlipped.

S. K. Bhutani, executive engi- neer, HUDA, said, "I have no idea about any project pending for repair of roads for this sec- tor. I can't comment on it unless I depute someone to look into the issue. However, I assure, if there is any pending work, I will definitely look into it."

One of the most affected pr- operties of this locality is the busy South Patio Club, situat- ed just off this 60-m wide road.

The overflowing sewage water from the manholes has no out- let. This has exposed the fact that HUDA has not been able to lay the master sewerage line to which these arterial overlo- aded sewerage lines can be conn- ected. As a result, sewage water keeps spilling over the road. Re- peated representations to the office of Deepti Umashankar, former Administrator of HUDA, by the affected residents have not delivered any fruit.

The RWA president, Pradeep Arora, complained that due to non-existent water drainage sy- stem in localities such as We- mbley Estate and Rosewood Ci- ty, the sewerage lines get over- loaded and sewage overflows from the three manholes.

Source: Hindustan Times By Rahul Ahuja Sewage water inundates posh South City II

But after 15 years, the inhab- itants of this 200 acres plus township are unhappy and are accusing the promoters of the complex of selling them a bad dream.

The housing accommoda- tions of Malibu Towne are divid- ed into condominiums, inde- pendent floors and plotted hous- es with an approximate 4,000 people.

Over the years, a majority of the residents are not paying any maintenance charges to the promoters (Malibu Estate Private Limited). Now both the parties are fighting a case in the court.

"Even the basics amenities such as water connection, an outlet for sewage lines and prop- er security have been denied to us. When we approach the promoters, it is like hitting a brick wall. With no hope in sight, we were forced to fight a legal battle. But even that is proving to be a long drawn affair," says Rajesh Shukla, a resident.

"The promoters collected money to set up a 4,000 KVA power back up but instead pro- vided just 1,750 KVA. As a reac- tion, a majority of the residents have stopped paying mainte- nance charges. Now we have to fight a daily battle to get things done here. There is no peace for us, even at this old age," says Capt. Ashok Bakshi, the first president of the Condominiums RWA.

mamgain01@gmail.com

Source: Hindustan Times By Asheesh Mamgain Malibu Towne, Housing Dream Gone Sour

The residents blame the administration for not keeping a check and taking serious action against the encroachers.

In DLF II, many vacant plots have been encroached upon cre- ating problems for the nearby residents.

Since the beginning, the res- idents of various colonies includ- ing South City-I, DLF and Sector 4 have been opposing the opening of the wine shops near the residential areas. But no action has been taken by the author- ities, rather the number of wine shops has only increased.

garima.vohra@hindustantimes.com

Source: Hindustan Times By Garima Vohra Encroachers Rule Here:  DLF City Is Full Of illegal Vendors And Shops

Private tankers dump the waste water in nearby areas, polluting the environment and posing health hazards.

The authorities responsible for the situation have turned a blind eye even as the tanker mafia is having a free run.

A 68- million- litres- a- day sewage treatment plant was constructed by the Haryana Urban Development Authority ( HUDA) near Dhanwapur at an approximate cost of Rs 11 crore.

MCG officials admitted that 90 per cent of Gurgaon's colonies were dependent on the tankers for the disposal of sewage water. " Most of the high- rises in Gurgaon have sewer lines but they are yet to be connected to the main plant.

Hence they use the tankers," Khullar said.

faizan.haider@mailtoday.in

Source: Mail Today By Faizan Haider Tankers add to Gurgaon sewage problem

The RWA of Sector 15-I has also written several letters to the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) in this regard.

"We wrote another letter to the HUDA Administrator, Deepti Umashankar, last month requesting her to find a permanent solution to the sewer problem," said Raja Ram, general secretary of the association.

The association has urged the HUDA Administrator to build a new sumpwell inside or near the colony in order to solve the problem of choked sewer lines. The sumpwell would solve problem of choked sewer forever.

The RWA members have suggested connecting the sewer line with the main Mehrauli sewer line, which is approximately 500m from where the sumpwell has been proposed. "The site where the sumpwell could be made comes is near the government girls college," said S. P. Ahuja, vice president of the RWA. He adds that the association has already met the college authorities in this regard.

Source: HT Live From Hindustan Times Overflowing sewer in Sector 15-I

Nikhil, the elder of the two kids, has his exam next month and studying till late night is a part of his routine. His younger sister's schedule, too, is the same.

"We do not get enough electricity supply to even charge our mobile phones. We hardly get 12 hours of supply a day," said their mother Asha Kakreja, who is now contemplating spending about Rs 50,000 to buy a domestic generator that runs on kerosene oil. Life for residents of New Gurgaon, which mainly comprise DLF residential buildings, Sushant Lok, South City and sectors 31, 40, 45, 46, has been thrown life out of gear because of unscheduled and frequent power cuts.

Asha Kukreja said she has started switching off lights of entire house, including the kitchen, to ensure that the inverter gets recharged. His husband, who runs an IT business in IMT Manesar, no longer works on his laptop at home.

The power cuts are all most parents have on their minds, as their children have to appear for their examination next month.

Source: Hindustan Times 12-hr power cuts in Gurgaon

In protest against these units, residents led a peaceful protest to the Deputy Commissioner's office. They called for immediate closure of such pollution-causing units. "We will not tolerate any more of this as we have been suffering for nearly a decade," said Dalal Chand Joon, a social worker who lives in Sector 10.

He added that apart from Sectors 10 and 10-A, several other areas and villages have been affected by the factory pollution. There are many units in the city operating in gross violation of the factory rules - causing air and water pollution.

What upsets the residents is that effluent disposal is being done in the open and the polluted smoke is being released mainly at night. "Do the pollution authorities ever think how this affects the common man," says Col (retired) Mohinder Singh, a Basai village resident.

Areas suchas Sectors 37 (Pace City,) 18, 53, 43, Maruti Complex, Sarhaul, Pataudi Road, Bhora Kalan, Bhondsi, Bajghera Road (near New Palam Vihar), Udyog Vihar-IV, Naurangpur, Mohammadpur, Nunera, MG Road, Khandsa and Hero Honda Chowk and many other villages are facing acute pollution problem.

UNHYGIENIC: This drain in DLF Phase-III is an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes

The spread of dengue continues unabated in the Millennium City. With 86 cases and three deaths reported so far this season, more and more questions are being asked about the pathetic infrastructure and poor sanitation conditions behind the outward glitz and shine.

On Friday, Gurgaon's malaria officer, Dr Krishan Kumar, confirmed that the upscale DLF city was among the worst-hit areas in Gurgaon.

``Though we have seen very few cases so far this year, we want a situation when there is no outbreak of the disease at all. People have shown more awareness and we have been asking HUDA and other civic agencies for speedy construction and proper maintenance of the drainage system. They have not paid any heed,'' he said.

The open field opposite U-Block in DLF City, Phase-III, where there is severe waterlogging in a large open trench is a typical example of the conditions that are helping mosquitoes breed. Residents and commuters have been complaining about the long stretch of stagnant water but no steps have been taken so far.

Source: Times Of India HUDA trench turns into dirty drain

Proper streetlighting, provision of clean drinking water and functional sewage treatment plants might still elude many of those living in urbanised Gurgaon, but may soon turn into reality for 34 villages around the Millennium City.

The Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon has engaged a private company to conduct a villagewise survey to gauge local needs.

The civic body has already ordered 140 high mast lights to be set up at the 34 villages. "The plan is to install two to six (as per requirement) high mast lights in these villages. These lights can illuminate a large area and are easier to maintain. The other benefit is that such lights offer minimum ground-level obstruction," a senior municipal official said.

The independent consultant will submit the survey report by October-end, after which villagewise planning will be carried out, the official added.

Also, the civic body plans to involve locals in the project by setting up citizen supervisory committees to oversee the work.

"We will make the final payment to the contractors only after these committees give us their approval on the work," the officer said.

The municipal body also plans to install sewage treatment plants at 11 villages to meet the requirement for the next 30 years.

Source: The Indian Express Gurgaon civic body plans streetlighting, potable water facilities for 34 villages

On Thursday and Friday hundreds of kids were forced to remain indoors as neither the school Transportation ror private vehicles could fetch the kids to school.  

Vechiles came to one of the worst standstill in the year on Friday as office goers reached Delhi after a five-hour sedentary trauma.

What surprises résidents the most is thaf there are "well-known points and spots'' which get in-
undated each time it drizzles and causes jams; how-ever, the administration can only provide lip serv-ice and do little else.

The main bus stand, though not for the first time, converted into a lagoon soon after it started raining on Wednesday evening. More than fifteen years have passed since the ramwater discharge system was put in place, but every time it rains,  it cornes to naught.

The Hero Honda crossing on Gurgaon-Delhi expressway is another jinxed spot where water caus-es blockage of traffic movement on National High-way No. 8.

Source: Metro Now 12/Sep/2009 By Yogesh

Basic infrastructure such as sewage, water, power, drainage, security, environment, roads, transport are in bad state in the city. And this has been causing much hue and cry in the recent past.
Now, the announcement of the development of two amusement parks in Sectors 29 and 52 by the government just before the assembly elections adds insult to injury as far as the already upset residents are concerned.

BETTER FACILITIES Even many government officials feel that the need of the hour is to upgrade these facilities, not the development of amusement parks.

Gurgaon residents allege that the government is not paying attention to the upgradation of these facilities. They say that development has not been up to the mark in the past two decades.

"The postal services are still pathetic. We made enormous efforts to get the services improved but to no avail. We are worried that we do not get a single letter from anywhere.

This has been a cause of immense resentment among the residents. We fail to understand how an amusement park becomes essential," said Indra Vikram Singh, a resident of Rosewood City.

MULTIPLE PROBLEMS

Source: Hindustan Times publicire - Slow road to development

Wing Commander (retired) S Vig. a resident of DLF City-II, points at a smelly pool of sewage near DLF Cyber City. Gurgaon has no proper outlets for sewage and stromwater

But more than a year since it came into existence, MCG has belied all hopes.

The Corporation has not taken up any new civic projects. It has also failed to get the other players, such as Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) and the private developers to fall in line.

BUMPY RIDE For the last six years, the staff of corporate houses located along Sahraul Road in Sector 18 has been running from one civic agency to another for getting this 2-km road repaired.

When MCG was formed, it was hoped that the road would be repaired soon.

However, nothing has moved on the ground.

Till April this year, none of the civic agencies -- HUDA, Haryana State Infrastructure and Industrial Development Corporation (HSIIDC) or Public Works Department (PWD) -were ready to own responsibility.

HT had highlighted the poor state of this important road in April. The state's finance minister and other senior government functionaries had taken note of the problem at the time. It was decided to transfer the road to HUDA. Yet, nothing changed.

NONSTARTER MCG was formed by upgrading the then Municipal Council of Gurgaon, and increasing its jurisdiction from 16.7 sq km to 164 sq km, thus bringing private townships, HUDA sectors and 34 villages under its purview. The Panchayat system was dismantled through a notification and funds amounting to Rs 450 crore, meant for the panchayats, were handed over to MCG.

Source: Hindustan Times Who will fix this rot? Nobody knows

"We need only basic amenities, for which we have already paid in advance long back," says a resident. According to residents, there are surplus funds with concerned agencies and if they spend from the basic money paid by them then all problems can be solved.

"There has been no improvement in power supply situation. Cement mixing plants put up by builders in South City -2 are creating pollution. So many times we have complained about these issues but to no avail," says another resident.

Residents are especially concerned about safety on HUDA road connecting South City to Rosewood City and Uppal South End and South End Floors and also Sector 56 and Badshahpur-Sohna road. The connecting road of Rosewood City and South City is used by residents, kids, working ladies and senior citizens and there is no auto-rickshaw is available on this road.

The entire stretch is in a pathetic condition and it is even difficult for residents to commute. "Even cars go a dead slow because of the poor condition of the road. It is also dangerous to commute on this road, be it day or night because chain-snatching has become very common. Non-functional streetlights are also to blame for increasing crime in the area," says a resident.