‘In Gurgaon,babus,ex-CEOs,Armymen file most cases against state govt’

The department,which is defending thousands of cases filed by Gurgaon residents against Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) and private developers given licences by it,says ordinary people are not unhappy with civic facilities but the rich and mighty who have chosen to make the city their home.

“Most of the litigants are retired CEOs of companies,Army generals and bureaucrats,who have no work and fat pensions to pursue litigation. They have seen the best of places in the world and after investing in a Rs 4-5 crore apartment,they have the same fancy ideas and expect facilities like New York in Gurgaon. Much of our valuable time is being devoted to fighting court cases and satisfying the ego of these people,” said S S Dhillon,Principal Secretary (Town and Country Planning),Gurgaon.

Dhillon added that both HUDA and private colonisers has also developed sectors in other Haryana cities and towns such as Karnal,Panipat,Hisar,Yamuna Nagar and Sonepat,but the allottees have not gone to court.

“The pace of providing infrastructure in Gurgaon could have been faster,but there are capacity constraints. One also learns through experience. The earlier master plan was exhausted in 2001. In the 2007 master plan,all new sectors have been provided roads,sewerage and water supply. Other than influx of corporates,their employees and retired people,there is continuous flow of population from rural to urban areas. Infrastructure projects can come up only after proper planning and have a long gestation period,right from land acquisition to execution,” he said.

The city this summer,again witnessed protests by residents over power and water shortage. The department had on August 21 submitted an affidavit in the Punjab and Haryana High Court on water shortage and steps taken to arrest Gurgaon’s falling groundwater table. It contended that water demand will be met by this year end.

“Two water canals spanning a length of 70 km have been built from Sonepat. The Rs 322-crore NCR Channel will also be functional by first week of October and the first unit of the Rs 150 crore water treatment plant will also be operational by October. It will supply 22 million gallons of water,adding to the present supply of 60 million gallons. However,the city’s rising population is a constant challenge but we are duty bound to provide good quality infrastructure,” said Dhillon.