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What troubles Col Kumar most is the apathy of the area police officials, who have not acted on his complaint at all.

Kumar said he would meet Police Commissioner SS Deswal.

"It's been more than nine days. The police have failed to even call the suspects to the police sta- tion. I went all around looking for the addresses and the contact numbers of three suspects to whom I had rented out a portion of my house before leaving for the US. It is not my job to investigate the case. More than the monetary loss, it is a loss of honour. But the police have no respect for either my age or the gallantry awards I have lost."

With this, the department has paved the way for construction of the 150-meter wide expressway, work on which had been stalled for quite some time as the affected had moved the court.

NPE was planned in the Gurgaon Master Plan 2021 and would be the widest expressway in NCR with 30 meters of green belt alongside.

A number of private developers have acquired licenses from the Haryana government to develop townships all long this expressway that would connect the proposed Southern Peripheral Expressway (SPE) on the other side of the Gurgaon Expressway. The six-lane SPE would connect Gurgaon Expressway with Faridabad Road and MG Road.

In a recent order passed by the financial commissioner and principal secretary, TCP, D.S. Dhesi turned down the demand of the affected residents to change the alignment of the NPE, saying this project was "crucial" for the future development of Gurgaon.

The expressway meanders through New Palam Vihar where thousands of houses have been constructed and about 400 built up houses have come in the line of the alignment and would have to be demolished for constructing the corridor.

TCP officials said New Palam Vihar was an unauthorized colony that had been developed by a group of people and property dealers without acquiring the necessary permissions from the department.

Source: Hindustan Times Mega Road To Flatten Homes: Houses On Death Row, Gurgaon Body Says Homes Falling In New Expressway Area To Fall

A discussion was held between HUDA Administrator G.Anupama and the office-bearers of the association last year on the matter. But since then, nothing has moved and assurances by the concerned agencies have never been implemented.

"The water table is going down every year and depleting fast at a very alarming rate. Residents may have to face an acute water shortage in the near future," states the letter of the association to the HUDA Administrator.

According to the RWA, the Society for Urban Regeneration of Gurgaon and its Environs (SURGE), headed by former chief secretary of Haryana, M. C. Gupta, had conducted a survey to identify suitable sites in the sector for the purpose, but no further action was taken.

"We do not want to comment on why work is not in progress even after SURGE agreed to work for a rain water harvesting system in the colony. We questioned the HUDA, but got no reply," said Amar Singh Hooda, president of the Sector 23 RWA.

The sector belongs to HUDA, which has to sanction land for the rainwater structures by issuing no objection certificates. Several rounds of meetings have been held so far between the HUDA officials and SURGE regarding suitability of structure sites and the planning, but they all failed to reach a convincing solution.

"As per the funds available, we have identified three sites for rainwater structures in which the executive engineer of the HUDA has posed an objection. It is regarding planning of the well structures, which we do not find agreeable," said Col (retired) Inderjit Singh,an employee of SURGE.

However, the RWA has alleged that HUDA officials are apathetic while rainwater has been destroying the internal roads every year.

"It is one of the largest sectors and has 30 parks,besides large open areas of private farms and green belts.

Water can be channelised, to be harvested in these areas on a fairlylarge scale," added the RWA president.

The residents of Sector 23 are more upset since they have only one overhead tank to cater to the entire population.

"There are shortcomings in the water distribution system in the colony .We have apprised the authorities many times about the problem. We have given letters to the HUDA officials asking them to improve the water distribution system, which is currently poor," said Amar Singh Hooda, president of the Residents Welfare Association (RWA) of Sector 23.

The RWA has been in regular touch with the HUDA, which maintains the sector. "The need of the hour is to either increase the duration of boosting up water to the over head tank from the underground reservoir and further to houses, or to make technical arrangements to supply water to each side equally added the RWA presi ," dent.

The residents at the fag end of the supply line have problems in terms of low pressure.Water gets slower as it reaches the fag end in all directions to the overhead tank. "We have no water for the past three days.

We had to augment water thro ugh tankers. We have told the office bearers of the association many times," said C. M. Oberoi, a resident.

However, low pressure, which in turn causes inequal distribution in the colony has been a , nightmare. "Eight inch pipelines were laid years ago. They do not have the capacity to sustain water pressure beyond a certain limit. The population has grown manifold, so we require better pressure and more water," said M. S. Joon, an office bearer of the RWA of Sector 23.

However, HUDA calims that water from the Basai canal is sufficient to fulfill the needs of the entire population.

Amrik Singh, additional chief engineer, HUDA, said, "There is no water scarcity in Sector 23. We made an estimate for changing the pipeline. The changes will take place in due course. We have taken rounds of colony to know the actual problem."

"Since the developers themselves have occupied these green belts, how will it look into the issue? Despite several complaints, the management has not bothered about the two major encroachment issues here," said Sunil Yadav, vice president of the Palam Vihar residents welfare association (RWA).The management has built a storehouse and operates offices from these green belts.

The residents of the colony have raised their voice against the illegal occupation of these green belts. These lands are now worth crores. However, their illegal occupation is in complete violation of the original layout plan of the colony .

"This is not only illegal, the encroachments are affecting the natural look of the colony as well. We have raised this issue and sought explanation from the management. However, till date no one is ready to speak in this regard," said Rohtas Jhangu, president of the Palam Vihar RWA.

R. K. Goyal, vice president, Ansal Properties and Infrastructure Ltd, the developers, said, "I am not competent to comment in this regard." He said it pertains to sanctions and the completion department would speak about it. On the other hand, Rakesh Narang from the Sanctions and Completion Department said, "I would look into the matter first, only then can I comment.

However, I am not authorised to speak to the media." It is important to note that the encroachments on these lands are in violation of the layout plan cleared by the District Town Planning (DTP).

The removal of the encroachments comes under a wing of the (DTP) Enforcement and they are yet to take action in the matter."I will take action against any form of encroachments on the green belt," said B. K.

Saini, District Town Planner, Enforcement.The RWA has, however, said that if action is not executed the association would sit on a protest against such violation.

The internal roads require immediate resurfacing. The residents have written to the HUDA Administrator, G.Anupama, to get the pending work completed as early as possible.The RWA office bearers met HUDA officials at the Gymkhana Club recently They complained about the selective patchwork on some roads in the sector.

Additional Chief Engineer Amrik Singh, Superintending Engineer Pankaj Kumar, Executive Engineer A. K.Gulati and other HUDA officials were also present in the meeting.

"Amrik Singh, however, admitted that resurfacing of the internal roads could not take place as the area's drainage system is not complete. This is bound to damage the roads. He did not say how much time HUDA would take to complete the drainage system," said Col (retd) Mahender Singh Joon, a member of the RWA."Patch work has been done on the roads in areas where some influential people live.

This is a regular exercise," alleged Brahm Prakash Yadav, a resident. The RWA has expressed concern over the apathetic attitude of the authorities and neglect of the area over the years.

"Why have the authorities not taken any action to improve the drainage system so far? The contractor refused to work on the road surfacing because of the poor drainage system," said Satpal Yadav, vice president of the RWA.

The RWA has also alleged that the authorities have shown on paper that the drainage system is complete.But the ground reality is different."We do not know what kind of stories the authorities weave to impress the residents," said Amar Singh Hooda, president of the RWA."Let us see how much time HUDA takes to accomplish this task. The officials have informed us many times that funds have been released during the previous budget for this work," said Prem Kishan Gehlot, a resident.

"Work to resurface all the required internal roads will begin soon, as the tender has already been awarded. It is just a matter of a few months. I have asked the concerned executive engineer to inspect the sector and do the needful," said Amrik Singh.About a month ago, he had assured that these roads would be resurfaced to a serviceable condition.

However, for the residents of Palam Vihar, this stretch is the only approach road to the main city They have expressed their concern about commuting in the night, especially in the absence of streetlights, to the authorities many times. "Accidents take place here every day and the authorities and police are aware of the problem," said A s h w a n i Chaudhary, a resident of Palam Vihar.According to the residents, women are scared to travel on this road after sunset, but the route is unavoidable for many.

"We have urged the residents welfare association our (RWA) of colony to put pressure on the authorities to install streetlights," said Rajni, a res ident of Palam Vihar. If the Palam Vihar RWA is to be believed, the nuisance level has increased in the recent months with many cases of theft and snatching taking place on this stretch. However, neither the police nor the authorities have paid any attention to the prob lem. "We have written several letters to G. Anupama, Administrator, Haryana Urban Authority Development (HUDA), and Pankaj Kumra, Superintending Engineer, in the past six months," said Sunil Yadav, vice president, Palam Vihar RWA.

"There were several poles for streetlights on this stretch about six months back, which have now disappeared surprisingly. We even asked the department but there has been no response from them," added Yadav. Maintained by the HUDA, the said stretch of more than four km is one of the busiest roads of the city It connects the main city to localities such as Bahadurgarh, Najafgarh, Bijwasan, Sectors 21, 22, 23, Palam Vihar, etc.

"It is the responsibility of the HUDA to complete the other half of the road and also provide streetlights," said Rohtas Jhangu, president of the RWA.

"We are likely to lay sewer lines along the stretch. This is the cause of the delay in completing the roads between the said localities. However, it will take another six-seven months to complete sewer work as well as completion of the other half of the stretch," said Kumra.

Parks are places which encourage people to steal a few moments of leisure and respite. But, if you enter Sector 23, you'll be at a loss as all the parks here are in a dilapidated condition. There are no sprawling greens, but just dust, and a few thriving patches of green here and there. Instead of enjoying the much needed breaks and walks, residents of the area defer going there. Laying the maintenance responsibility on RWA, HUDA claims to have done its job. But with no extra funds from HUDA, RWA is perhaps repenting taking up the humongous task.

"The problem is inadequate supply of water. There is only one over head tank with a capacity of 1 lakh cubic gallon. This tank has to provide water to more than 15,000 residents. As a result, there is not enough water for the parks. HUDA is providing us only Re 1 per square meter. How is it possible to maintain the parks with such meager amount?" questions Amar Hooda, president of RWA Sector 23.

Source: Gurgaon Plus 23 and all OUT!

That's what the residents of Palam Vihar seem to be singing. Greenery, clean roads and well-lit streets here make for an exclusive habitat.

Suburbia- a place in the countryside where you can see the clear blue sky, breathe the fresh air and feel the green grass between your toes. This description comes true in the face of Palam Vihar, a quiet and posh locality in the Millennium City. Palam Vihar is The place which appeals to people of all generations and from all walks of life. From satisfying the basic needs of water and electricity with no full stops, to providing luxuries like its very own Ansal Plaza and picturesque greenery, Palam Vihar has it all. Just to check on this hypothesis, we asked some residents whether it still holds its charm.

Rahul Gupta who is just five years old tells us, "I love cycling around B-Block every evening. In summer I swim in Chancellor Club." Twelve-year- old Anushka Das says, "I cycle to my tuitions every day as there is very less traffic on the roads. The Palam Vyapar Kendra is a pocket-friendly place." We found Michiko and Bhavya, both 16 years old, outside the BIG Cinema in Ansal Plaza, giggling as they were coming out. When we asked the reason, they chirped, "Our moms allowed us to go out on our own." Seriously, do we need to say anything here? Not us but Thumpa Bannerjee, a school teacher says, "This place is so clean, green and stress free. Yes, I do find some flaws like the occasional visits by family of pigs, the odd bark of stray dogs at midnight and the bad roads, but compared to other places, this place is the brightest penny."

If a psychological survey had been conducted in NCR, it would have found Palam Vihar housewives the most stress free. We just didn't throw you a blank statement; we have got our local 'aunties' to prove it. Sushma Tripathi, a resident of A-Block sighs, "Life is nirvana here. No traffic noise, no pollution, no fear of letting my children go out. I am totally at peace here."

The residents feel there are some flaws too, which if corrected will make Palam Vihar a preferable residential society for all. Firstly, there is no reliable public transport system. Secondly, the roads have to be touched upon. Thirdly, the security, though now increased, is still insufficient. If the authorities tackle these problems, we are sure that Palam Vihar will become the best place to live in Gurgaon.

"Wastewater often enters our house and we call the authorities concerned to do the needful. Till they come and remove the wastewater, we have to bear the foul smell and silt. This problem takes place quite frequently and so far the maintaining agencies have not been able to come up with a permanent solution," complained Ashwani Chaudhary, a resident of C-1 Block, Palam Vihar. Many other residents of C-1 Block are facing a similar situation ever since the colony came up about two decades ago.

The sewers and the drains, according to the residents, have hardly been desilted over the years. However, the department that handles the cleanliness claims that desilting has been done quite regularly .

According to the RWA, the problem lies in the faulty HUDA plan with regard to the main sewer line, which carries wastewater to the Najafgarh drain. At the moment, however, the HUDA has been coming up with a temporary solution by pumping out the sewer water across the railway track.

Mohinder Puri, vice president of the developer's maintenance department, also said the same thing. "All our efforts have failed due to faulty HUDA sewer lines," he said.

It has been very well said that it's better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. Nonetheless, there are very few persons who not only imbibe the essence of this saying, but also act upon it with utmost dedication.

Capt Indraani Singh; (right) Students at a school run by Literacy India in Bajghera village near Gurgaon

Capt Indraani Singh, a pilot with Indian Airlines, who started a social initiative to educate underprivileged children in 1996 and now steers a mass movement called Literacy India, is one such person.

After making a humble beginning with an effort to educate five children of migrant construction labourers, the movement now covers a wide range of activities ranging from spreading awareness about literacy to ensuring economic empowerment of rural women in and around Gurgaon.

As of now, Literacy India runs a school for the children from the lower socio-economic strata at Bajghera village, a stitching-tailoring training centre at Daulatabad village, an educational facility for the rag-pickers at Nev Sarai near Saket (New Delhi), besides several other initiatives to spread educational awareness and financial independence among women.

Like Chaudhary, who lives on the ground floor, many other residents of C-1 Block are facing a similar situation ever since the colony came up about two decades ago.

C Block is at a lower level as also H Block. Both these blocks face the nuisance of backflow of wastewater. The sewer lines, according to the residents, have hardly been cleared of silt over the years. However, the department that handles the cleanliness in the apartment block claims that desilting is done quite regularly.

The residents say that the sewer lines have not been desilted for years

The sewer problem is a serious issue here and residents have in the past left no stone unturned to seek a permanent solution to it. But no solution has yet been found. Now, inside the colony, sewer lines, which are under the maintenance of the developer and promoter of Palam Vihar, need to be technically up to the mark so as to carry wastewater to their designated place, located at the end of D Block.

From here the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) has to pump it out across the railway track.

For backflow too, which is the biggest nuisance these days, the residents blame the HUDA, which does not pump out wastewater citing power failure or technical fault as the reasons. But they do not do it even when power is restored or the fault is rectified, allege residents.

The Palam Vihar Residents Welfare Association (PVRWA) has written to the HUDA Administrator about the actual fault behind the backflow. They also met the superintending engineer in this regard several times.

"The problem is so serious that sometimes it is difficult for the RWA to manage the agitated and upset residents. But what can we do? We have met the HUDA authorities and apprised them about the actual sewer problem, but there is no progress at all," said Sunil Yadav, vice president, RWA.

According to the RWA, the problem lies in the faulty HUDA plan with regard to the main sewer line, which carries wastewater to the Najafgarh drain. "Basically, the master sewer lines of HUDA are not technically sound to draw the colony's wastewater. As a result there is backflow," added Yadav.

Mohinder Puri, vice president of the developer's maintenance department, also said the same thing. "All our efforts have failed due to faulty HUDA sewer lines." However, Pankaj Kumra, Superintending Engineer, HUDA, has refused to accept these allegations. He said, "The root cause of the sewer problem of Palam Vihar lies somewhere else.

People throw garbage and malba into the drains, which often choke them and cause backflow. They should look into it." "On the part of HUDA, we take care of the pumping out process of wastewater and ensure no nuisance is being committed by us. However, I will send some one to inspect the problem," he added.

The selling point being that the new sectors will not only meet rising demand for residential units but will also serve corporates to set up their office spaces. In the foreseeable future a proposed expressway will connect these sectors to Dwarka's sector 22 by 2010. And with the newly demarcated sectors like 108 or 109 being only a mere five to six kilometers away from the International Airport, it does seem like the sectors might attract some huge investment.

Talking about the residential rates in the new sector, an average rate of Rs 2,800-3,200 per sq ft in the resale market is still affordable. Several developers have obtained licenses for developing group housing projects in the new sectors. Located close to these sectors, Palam Vihar and the New Palam Vihar areas are of high importance. These have finished option in comparison to the new sectors.

Palam vs New Palam
New Palam Vihar cannot be compared to Palam Vihar in terms of development. Sector 3 and 5 near Palam Vihar are witnessing rapid infrastructure development. Repair of roads in Palam Vihar has already started. But New Palam Vihar still has unmetteled roads. HUDA seems to be banking on some big plans for redevelopment in this area. The new sectors mostly comprise of agricultural land with scattered dwellings. The roads are damaged and tractors and heavy-duty trucks ply on the village roads. Charan Singh Yadav of Neeraj Properties says, "The developers who have acquired land for residential projects have got licenses. Rest of the land is still agricultural. The area will take some four to five years to develop for urban living." Moreover, New Palam Vihar is unorganised and unapproved by HUDA. Some realtors in the area believe that government will soon regularise the area, as people living here have ration cards and telephone bills in their name.

Finished options
Rates and the market
Connectivity dividend
Appreciation

Says Aseem Bhargav, a resident, "We get electricity only in fits and starts. There is no power for most of the day .

When we do have power, it is often at such a low voltage that the electrical equipments do not work. Even a voltage stabiliser is of lit- tle use." The area RWA has been pursuing the DHBVN for improving the power situa- tion in the colony but with no result.

"What is needed is a com- plete upgradation of the power infrastructure. Our colony needs more trans- formers, new cables and more staff," says Col (retd.) S. K. Punia, president of the New Palam Vihar RWA.

On the other hand, the DHBVN officials are quick to distance themselves from the problem. Says A. K. Jain, General Manager, DHBVN, "New Palam Vihar is an unapproved colony We do pro .

vide power to the colony but we are not supposed to spend on the infrastructure of the colony. The people should approach the colony developer for such things as transformers. I did install a transformer in the colony but for that I had to answer to my superiors. They did not approve of spending money on unapproved colonies.

If the people of the colony collect money and give it to us, then we will provide whatever power infra structure they want." The RWA does not buy the DHBVN argument. Says Punia, "O. S. Lochab, DHBVN chairman, visited the colony six months ago and promised proper power. We have also paid development charges up to Rs 30,000 per plot to DHBVN. Many unapproved colonies in Gurgaon and Delhi get proper power, then why are we being denied it?"

There is some good news for all the residents who are oppsing the proposed new expressway project connecting Dwarka with National Highway-8 upto Khirkidaula. In a recent development, Chandigarh High Court has given a stay order on the whole process of land acquisition process till September 9. The residents are alleging that the project that has been made part of the Gurgaon Master Plan 2021 spells disasters for hundreds of residents of New Palam Vihar.

The resident welfare associations in the area are up in arms agains the project and allege that no survey has been done for the proposed road. "There are sufficient extra spaces for constructing the expressway outside the colony. The residents feel that these spaces could be used for constructing the road. Nowhere in the developed city or towns, express ways pass through the residential colony. How can the authority evict us when we've got an NOC from different government office and have been provided bank loans for constructing our homes," says Kiran Kandtal, vice president, New Palam Vihar Resident Welfare Association. The fear of displacement has created panic amongst the residents.

Recently, the resident welfare association had taken out a series of protests against the proposed expressway, and had appealed to the authorities to reconsider the decision.  

The new three-screen cinema with 802 seats is in proximity to densely populated residential sectors in the city, said a release issued by the company.

`Gurgaon, being one of Delhi's four major satellite cities, has grown tremendously over the past few years. We are excited to enter this vibrant and dynamic city and offer the people of Gurgaon the world class facilities that they expect,' said Adlabs Cinemas chief operating officer Tushar Dhingra.

Adlabs Cinemas presently has 179 screens spread over 69 properties nationwide. It is also building up a sizable international presence. Having recently acquired majority stake in the Malaysia-based Lotus Five Star Cinemas, it will operate a 51-screen cinema chain in Malaysia.

"But our fight has been weakened by the fact that the government and political representative of the area have turned a deaf ear to our problem," said an affected resident, Rishi Raj Rana.

Meanwhile, fear of displacement has gripped the residents. "It is bound to bring irreparable damages to many families who have been settled here for decades. And we have categorically told the government that we do not want any compensation," said another resident, E K. Dhan The residents also allege that the government did not invite public objection before including the project in Master Plan 2021.

Over time the market of the sector has become aden for such activities and the residents are feeling helpless. Since the sector has many entry and exit points, a large number of unauthorised trucks and tempos are parked in the market and the vacant plots in the sector The drivers of these trucks and tempos usually park their vehicles at night and drink in the open.

So much so that women have stopped moving out alone at night fearing unsavoury comments. The residents feel that even if they employ different modes of security checks, this unauthorised parking leads to its failure. Many complaints have been sent to the police commissioner and the SHO of the area but they are still pending. Sector 22 is divided into two parts, 22A and 22B, and the residents of both the sectors are facing security problems. There is no police patrolling and no police assistance booth in the area. On December 3, 2007, the Haryana Urban Development Administration (HUDA) Admin- istrator and the Estate Officer had visited the area to take stock of the problems being faced by the residents.

"We had shown them the insecure spots and they said that immediate action will be taken in consultation with the police but we are still facing the same problems," says R. N. Kapoor, president, Sector 22 RWA.

The troubles of the residents increase when the few functional streetlights also stop working, leading to darkness and encouraging the number of thefts in the area. Many residents who have lost their gold chains or women who have experienced eveteasing hesitate to report it to the police because of their attitude. "We have met the police commissioner several times and have informed him about the incidents but no action has been taken yet.

Not even police patrolling has been started in the area," says Kapoor He adds, "The RWA is there to safeguard the interests of the residents but they can succeed if the government agencies also support and are ready to take an initiative. We can stop illegal parking in the area only if the police supports us." "Time to time we remove these trucks and tempos but to ensure that they are not parked in the sector premises anymore we are planning to issue challans and increase police patrolling," says J. K. Malhotra, SHO, Palam Vihar Police Station.

The latest in a series of incidents took place July 19. A group of armed youths in a black SUV Scorpio allegedly intercepted a Ford Endeavor at a railway crossing and snatched Rs.500,000 from the person in the vehicle, according to police.

This time around, they have approached the chief secretary of Haryana for intervention. They were left with no alternative, since the condition of the roads and other basic amenities in the colony is deteriorating fast and the local authorities have failed to deliver.

Residents complain that the both the access roads - Sheetla Mata Road and the Palam Vihar Road - are in such a bad shape that they cannot be used. They are full of potholes and heavily encroached, restricting the movement of the residents and visitors.

Frustrated residents recently wrote a letter to Dharam Vir Singh, chief secretary, Haryana, apprising him of the missing infrastructure and apathy of the concerned officials.

Says Nirmal Bansal, a resident of Palam Vihar, "Potholes have rendered both the roads useless. Leave aside driving; one cannot even walk on the roads. The roads have not been repaired for two years. As a result, both the roads are withered. Water logging and garbage dumped on the roads makes matters worse."

Both the roads are teeming with unauthorised vendors, auto workshops and illegal extension of shops. "

"Emboldened by the knee-jerk action of the authorities, encroachers return soon after being evicted. Recently, three shops adjoining the Vyapar Kendra on Palam Vihar Road were demolished. The shops were rebuilt within days. The absence of police officers results in blatant violation of traffic regulations. The hapless residents of Palam Vihar have to bear the brunt. Whenever we raise the matter with the local authorities, they assure us that the roads will be relaid or repaired but nothing has happened. How long are we supposed to ignore the matter?"