I live in a residential community in Gurgaon comprising 1,200 flats. Situated 25 kilometers from the Indian Parliament House and just about a kilometer from the Dwarka Expressway, a modern elevated highway constructed by the National Highways Authority of India—one would expect the residents to atleast enjoy a smooth commute.
However, this is far from reality. The Haryana Government has left the residents in a grim situation as there is no provision for the access roads that are supposed to connect residential areas to the main sector roads. This oversight persists despite these residential societies being approved by the Town and Country Planning Department, for which the apartment owners have paid substantial fees.
This issue is not unique to my society. Hundreds of other residential societies in Gurugram suffer from similar infrastructure woes. The Haryana government’s lack of a clear policy for providing access roads has left residents in a state of limbo. Their homes, often multi-crore investments, are disconnected from the city’s main arterial roads by narrow, poorly maintained, or even non-existent pathways. Many Gurgaon residents have taken a decision not to vote in the coming election unless access roads are provided to them.
Regrettably the Town and Country Planning Department has been providing permissions to the builders for occupation of residential complexes with access through revenue or village roads which do not have proper surface, adequate width or street lighting. Many of these residential complexes are not connected to storm/sewerage drains and do not have proper electricity connections. How do the Builders manage to get occupation certificates for such incomplete projects is a mystery?
The approach road to our society is owned by Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board (HSAMB) hence it retains the rights to repair or provide permissions to others be it the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) or the Residents Welfare Organisations (RWA) to carry out any improvements. The HSAMB has limited budget and staff thus they are not able to carryout repairs or monitor other agencies who work on it for installing services.
Interestingly this narrow-paved road is literally a lifeline for many other residential societies. In addition to using this road for commuting, the road is used for a sewerage line, storm drain, numerous water lines, at least one overhead and three underground electricity cables, telecom lines and lately the compressed natural gas (CNG) line. The need for maintenance of these services is huge hence the service providers be it the RWAs or the MCG or any other agency keeps digging and damaging the road frequently without any obligation to repair.
In 2022, with great difficulty our RWA had managed to get the road repaired and widened with the help of HSAMB and the Builder. However, in May 2023 the MCG dug up the entire road for laying of the sewerage pipeline and made it unusable – interestingly while awarding the contract for the sewerage work, the MCG engineers forgot to take permission from the HSAMB and also did not cater for budget to relay the road. After months of chasing including Haryana Chief Minister Window complaints and requests to the local political figures, the MCG allocated 37 lakhs for repaving of the road.
There was however a problem, because the MCG estimate reduced the width of the road to just 10.5 feet. The RWA approached the MCG and volunteered to pay through residents’ contributions for increasing the width of the road because the review of the cost would have meant that the tender execution would have been delayed by another 6 months. After many hiccups, the repair of the road commenced sometime in April or May 2024 and got completed half way through up to up to our gate.
Our happiness was short lived because the frequent damages to the underground water pipelines and electricity cables resulted in continuous digging up of the road. Furthermore, due to insistent rain, the road sunk at many places as it had not been properly compacted by the contractor due to lack of supervision from the MCG staff.
The plight of our society underscores a broader problem in Gurugram’s urban development. While the city has witnessed rapid growth, its infrastructure has often failed to keep pace. The lack of a comprehensive approach to urban planning and development has resulted in significant challenges for residents and businesses alike. It is imperative that the authorities take decisive steps to address these issues and ensure that the city’s growth is sustainable and equitable.
4 comments
Couldn’t agree with you more Sir… An avoidable situation if timely & correctly addressed by the right people in the Govt. It is a must for the authorities to take immediate steps to address these very important issues.
No vote is not the solution.
I also do not agree with “no road no vote” but the citizens are in dire straits
It’s disheartening to experience and read about the continuous challenges faced by residents due to the lack of accountability and coordination among various agencies responsible for maintaining essential infrastructure like roads. The situation in our society (IBCP), where the main approach road has been dug up for months without proper repair, is a prime example of the broader urban development issues affecting Gurugram. It’s frustrating that even after the RWA’s efforts and resident contributions, poor supervision and lack of planning have resulted in substandard work, leading to further deterioration.
The authorities need to recognize that the city’s rapid growth requires sustainable infrastructure, backed by thorough planning and coordination across departments. Without addressing these gaps, residents will continue to suffer from short-lived fixes and ongoing disruptions. A long-term solution is essential, one that ensures proper oversight, accountability, and quality execution of projects, so we don’t remain trapped in this vicious cycle of damage and repair.
Rupinder Singh
N Tower, IBCP