The Tribune, August 1, 2016
Gurgaon now Gurugram boasts of being the Millenium City. What earned this sobriquet could be the offices of several IT companies and grand edifices and Malls which are touted not as shopping places but as a destination and tourist attraction.
While concentration of IT companies brings in thousands of young minds to the city along with revenue, it is certainly not this alone that should earn Gurugram the sobriquet. Silicon Valley in the US is home to who's who of world IT industry. But then Silicon Valley is also known for the 6th highest GDP in the world, the best air and water supply anywhere on the planet Earth. The infrasturcture is awesome and always being upgraded.
And here is our Millennium City overwhelmed by one hour's downpour. Thousands of motorists stranded everywhere. Engines stalled. People abondoned their cars on the roads and trudged home in knee deep water. NH 8 was flooded and continues to be submerged.
And to make matters worse there was a power shutdown. The Police Commissioner had to come on the radio to request workers to exercise the choice of working from their home, if they could. In fact he was defending those whose inaction and inefficiency led to traffic chaos in Gurugram.
Most of us believe that the reason for these ills is faulty planning and engineering. Most of the HUDA sectors have been carved out by acquiring village land. Each village used to have a big pond which served as a receptor of excess water. With the disappearance of these water bodies and disregard to the natural slope of the area storm water management has become difficult.
Unlike Panchkula, Gurugram is not a zero hawker city. You want to sell fruits, just start doing so on any pavement or footpath in Gurgaon. All that you need to do is to perhaps grease the palms of a few unscrupulous municipality or police officials. It is no body's business to see how many hawkers, rehris and other vendors have illegally occupied the public footpaths. What ever trash their businesses generates, goes into the drains which are never cleaned. Cleaning of drains may be a major issue in Delhi but not in your Millennium City. Not even a single cleaning staff was deployed today to clear the plastic and bio waste that clogged the drains.
Thank God the heavens did not decide to open up today! Imagine what would have happened.
It is time the Gurugram officials were slapped on their wrists by their political masters to get their act together and take corrective measures in the next few months.
The article can also be read at the following link:
http://epaper.tribuneindia.com/892508/The-Tribune/TT_01_August_2016#page/9/2
Gurgaon now Gurugram boasts of being the Millenium City. What earned this sobriquet could be the offices of several IT companies and grand edifices and Malls which are touted not as shopping places but as a destination and tourist attraction.
While concentration of IT companies brings in thousands of young minds to the city along with revenue, it is certainly not this alone that should earn Gurugram the sobriquet. Silicon Valley in the US is home to who's who of world IT industry. But then Silicon Valley is also known for the 6th highest GDP in the world, the best air and water supply anywhere on the planet Earth. The infrasturcture is awesome and always being upgraded.
And here is our Millennium City overwhelmed by one hour's downpour. Thousands of motorists stranded everywhere. Engines stalled. People abondoned their cars on the roads and trudged home in knee deep water. NH 8 was flooded and continues to be submerged.
And to make matters worse there was a power shutdown. The Police Commissioner had to come on the radio to request workers to exercise the choice of working from their home, if they could. In fact he was defending those whose inaction and inefficiency led to traffic chaos in Gurugram.
Most of us believe that the reason for these ills is faulty planning and engineering. Most of the HUDA sectors have been carved out by acquiring village land. Each village used to have a big pond which served as a receptor of excess water. With the disappearance of these water bodies and disregard to the natural slope of the area storm water management has become difficult.
Unlike Panchkula, Gurugram is not a zero hawker city. You want to sell fruits, just start doing so on any pavement or footpath in Gurgaon. All that you need to do is to perhaps grease the palms of a few unscrupulous municipality or police officials. It is no body's business to see how many hawkers, rehris and other vendors have illegally occupied the public footpaths. What ever trash their businesses generates, goes into the drains which are never cleaned. Cleaning of drains may be a major issue in Delhi but not in your Millennium City. Not even a single cleaning staff was deployed today to clear the plastic and bio waste that clogged the drains.
Thank God the heavens did not decide to open up today! Imagine what would have happened.
It is time the Gurugram officials were slapped on their wrists by their political masters to get their act together and take corrective measures in the next few months.
The article can also be read at the following link:
http://epaper.tribuneindia.com/892508/The-Tribune/TT_01_August_2016#page/9/2
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