Residents of Gurugram's ward number one, which encompasses New Palam Vihar Phase 1 and 2, Pavla Khosropur village, and several other areas, have repeatedly expressed their frustration over the lack of development. He alleged that despite some progress during the tenure of late MLA Rakesh Daulatabad, many essential infrastructure projects remained incomplete, leaving residents with dilapidated roads, frequent power outages. and faces inadequate drainage systems.
Major areas of the ward, including New Palam Vihar Phase 1 and 2, Paula Khusropur Village, Sectors 106, 109, 112, and 113, Ratan Vihar, Swarup Garden, Sarai Alwardi Village, and Vishnu Garden, are suffering from pothole-ridden roads. . , according to residents, overflow of sewage, and accumulation of garbage.
This is fueling discontent among residents who feel neglected by both the authorities and political parties, and is likely to be a key factor in the October 1 state assembly elections.
Sunny Daulatabad, a resident of New Palam Vihar, one of the eight areas covered by the ward, acknowledged partial success in regularizing New Palam Vihar Phase 1 and 2 by March 2024, but said a lot of work remained to be done. Residents of this ward have waited long enough. Now is the time for the authorities to fulfill their promises and complete the pending road and drainage projects.
Some developmental progress has been made, such as the construction of a park in the Chattghat area, the establishment of Ambedkar Bhawan in T-Block, a new library in New Palam Vihar, a community center in Sarai Village, and the beautification of ponds in Sarai and Jahajgarh. to make Villages
Additionally, the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority constructed a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) in Jahajgarh village in 2022. Valmiki Chopal Community Centers were also established in both Judgarh and Sarai villages.
However, the incomplete status of these and other projects, such as the SC Chopal in Sarai village, remains a source of frustration for the community, residents claimed.
“The road and sewerage work in our village remained incomplete after the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram blacklisted the contractor. We have been suffering from dilapidated roads and open drains for months. Resident Welfare at New Palam Vihar Phase-I BK Singh, general secretary of the association, said that sewage water is flowing on the roads in many areas which creates unhealthy environment and diseases.
Wing Commander (retd) RS Pandey stressed the need for good roads, proper drainage and continuous power supply as indicators of a well-developed region.
“Our ward still needs a lot of work on these issues. We waited for 35 years for approval to bring New Palam Vihar under municipal limits. We are thankful to our late MLA (Rakesh Daulatabad). The residents, who had put in a lot of effort to get it, also lobbied for it, resulting in many development projects,” he said.
Another New Palam Vihar resident Rekha Sharma expressed her concern over the incomplete Ambedkar Bhavan on xx. [location]. “This building was supposed to be a community hub, but it is still only a half-built structure. How long will we continue to deal with such unfinished projects,” he added.
Similarly, Ramesh Singh from Jahajgarh highlighted the unfinished work on Valmiki Chopal at Jahgarh and Sarai Al-Awardi. “It was supposed to be a place for our community gatherings, but it is incomplete. The authorities need to put pressure on the contractors to complete it or else the project will remain on hold,” he demanded.
Poonam Devi, another resident, said they have been waiting for proper infrastructure for years. Now that our territory has been formalized, they expect the MCG to fulfill its promises. “The lack of development and infrastructure is disappointing,” he added.
Bharat Nain, another resident of New Palam Vihar, also expressed concern over the power supply, highlighting frequent outages and the inadequacy of feeders and transformers installed a decade ago. “When there are frequent power outages in a city like Gurugram, it is very disturbing. Discoms are yet to investigate the problems. The feeders and transformers are of inadequate capacity,” he urged the authorities to upgrade the equipment.
Meanwhile, the residents have also criticized the incompetence of the contractors due to which several projects have stalled. “Many infrastructural development works undertaken by the MCG have remained incomplete due to incompetence of contractors or lack of funding. The main road of Sarai village is still in dire need of repair, and a The construction of a small-scale project like SC Chopal, allocated years ago, is yet to be completed,” Sunny Daulatabad added.
The terms of the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) councilors were due to expire in November 2022, and the elections, delayed by ward delimitation issues, are yet to be held. According to officials, elections can be held only after the delimitation is completed and approved by the state government.
Under the changes made by the Haryana government to the Municipal Act, the administration has prepared a blueprint for ward delimitation in Gurugram, which will have 36 wards for the MCG by July 2023, which is a family identity card and Based on population data obtained from electoral rolls.
Former ward number one councilor Mithlesh Barwal said that during his tenure he faced the problem that MCG officials did not respond to his calls or address the issues raised by him. “Officials only respond to contractors. After the death of MLA Rakesh Daulatabad, the situation worsened as officials completely stopped responding to civic issues raised by us or residents.
MCG Commissioner Narhari Singh Bangar said that several pending and ongoing projects across the city have been audited. “The grievances of the residents of the area were genuine and we will work to resolve them. Action will be taken against the contractors who have been delaying the projects for months.
Meanwhile, an official of Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vatran Nigam Limited said that they are already working on upgrading feeders and transformers in several areas. He added that we are aware of the problems faced by residents due to population growth and the upgrade will be completed before next summer.