Col. Kr. Pratap Singh

NOT A SMART CITY : GURGAON

Gurgaon is a cosmopolitan millennium city on the world map. Beautiful builder societies and condominiums are either present or coming-up in Gurgaon.  The night life, shopping and glitter surpasses New York and Singapore in looks.  It has corporate offices of the international fame listed in Fortune-500 companies.

But these islands of excellence are within their four walls. That is one side of Gurgaon.

The other side of Gurgaon would beat slum dog millionaire scenario. Civic neglect is visible all around – broken footpaths, heaps of garbage, potholes, encroachments, poor drainage, blocked sewer lines, cattle, stray dogs, crazy traffic etc.  Walking or driving down roads is a 24-hour nightmare.  Encroachments add to the woes as no power on earth now dare remove them. Efforts, if any are sporadic and encroachments re-emerge within the same week of removal, as if nothing had happened

The roads and pavements are in state of constant repair with a shelf life of 2-3-5 years. The contractors leaving behind the malba, construction material, as if they are the `Laat Sahibs’.  Someone else has to be given another contract to clean up the muck they leave behind which is never done.  Safe commuting is not in their concern.

Gurgaon’s `who’s-who’ societies took on the cudgels to push the Govt. to re-organize Gurgaon and form the MCG to replace HUDA, incapable, incompetent & corrupt. It resulted in two power centres, with no accountability and conflicting jurisdiction.  MCG came and HUDA stayed on with a new name HSVP.  Gurgaon’s `who’s-who’ societies took on the cudgels to push the Govt. to re-organize Gurgaon and form the MCG to replace HUDA, incapable, incompetent & corrupt. It resulted in two power centres, with no accountability and conflicting jurisdiction.  MCG came and HUDA stayed on with a new name HSVP.

Gurgaon later got the most needed, GMDA – a great idea, panache for all solutions.  However, this confounded the confusion. Each formed their own domain and fiefdoms.  GMDA, MCG and HUDA –each one has great authority and jurisdiction but little responsibility and accountability. Walk into any office to complain and the staff looks left and right.  The GMDA would say the problem pertains to MCG and vice-versa. The flat answer of MCG is “this road is under GMDA”.  If the road belongs to GMDA, the cleaning & sweeping responsibility is of the MCG.  And Oh Yes, the malba lifting is no one’s responsibility.  The two never see eye to eye.

Complaint mechanism.  First of all, the entire cleaning, repair and problem resolution should be automatic and in-built in the work system and task.  Yet, if one does want to complain after being fully frustrated, you don’t know where and to whom and which office.  If you do finally find one, the answer, the person has been transferred or has just joined, so unaware.

Complaint in CM Window – it works.  You get a prompt call or visit, “Sir, see the road is clean, but the repair job is not mine, malba lifting is another agency”, God knows who.  CM Window complaints are temporarily responded to, just for the moment, superficial. Again, a great idea, impossible in implementation.  Thousands, if not lakhs of complaints, would still be pending.

Waterlogging – the drainage system is the victim of corruption poor planning and pathetic supervision.  Crores of rupees have been spent on papers.  Most places the drains don’t exist on ground and have dead ends. In bits and pieces connected to nowhere.  There is a public outcry year after year with a high pitch during monsoon which dies down slowly to come up again in subsequent years.   With the changed climatic scenario, the rains are abnormal.  It pours in cloudbursts and the entire roads become rivers and storm water drains are meaningless.  The unauthorised construction/encroachments in the natural drainage route need to be bulldozed to tackle this perennial problem.

Yet another problem is the dual posts of senior bureaucrats, often in two different cities.  The kids and family reside in one city so the official is given a working post, an office, accommodation and transport in both cities. They are too busy sorting their personal problems and welfare needs of the family. Sailing in two boats, the work takes second priority.  Gurgaon infra can wait, why & where is the hurry?

The clerical/subordinate working staff have dug-in their heels in respective offices and have no one to question their job profile, daily/weekly output.  More so when their superiors and supervisors are weak, vulnerable, inefficient neither focused, committed nor passionate.  Who can hold the juniors to accountably then?

Whatever good intentions some top rungs may have, unless their passion & concern percolate down to the last person in the chain there will be gaps in governance.   Subordinates may not hear you but they imbibe the ethics, morals, integrity and discipline of the superiors.

Gurgaon needed a Surat like plague.  It looks like we are there at the rock bottom of filth and muck.  It needs a strong, honest, passionate, committed yet ruthless officer with full authority and power centres in Gurgaon, not at Chandigarh/Panchkula.

• All departments under GMDA, MCG and HUDA Gurgaon and even other cities must work 6 days a week till the civic governance & amenities improve in one to two years.

• The senior officials and immediate subordinates must visit their areas of responsibility every fortnight, if not weekly, to observe the state of affairs and not to wait for public complaints & grievances.  They must act on their own and take necessary action for repair & maintenance.

• Overlapping responsibility with regard to jurisdiction of GMDA and MCG must be re-assessed and clearly demarcated.  All other agencies such as HUDA (HSVP) in Gurgaon must be dissolved within a clear-cut timeline.  It is a waste of the IAS and the HCS Officers when all their tasks and duties were to be transferred to GMDA & MCG.  Too many cooks spoil the broth.

• CM Window complaints must have a time bound compliance.  These should be monitored and dealt locally at the highest level in each department.  Unresolved major complaints over 3 to 6 months old – the HOD must personally have meetings and discussions with the complainant(s) on a monthly basis similar to the Grievance Committee Meeting of CM, to satisfy the complainant and then only respond to the CM with Action Taken Report.

• There must be a better system of handing and taking over of charge on postings & transfers of senior officials.   Presently, they just pack their bags and move, leaving the newcomer to fend for himself. Their handing/taking over notes must be perused and approved by their superiors, commenting clearly on the unfinished work left behind by the predecessor & reasons.  The departed official should also be held responsible for all lapses and mistakes related to their decision making.  No point in investigations after 4-5 years.

• Inquiries with regard to corruption, incompetency and inefficiency & dereliction of duty must be swift and time-bound, with strict punishments and published regularly by name, on Haryana Govt. website for each city.

• Service Rules of Govt. Employees need to be revised and amended, to provide more teeth to the higher authorities to ensure stringent action for work compliance and harsher punishments, even removal from service for corruption, incompetence & dereliction of duties.

• The senior officials need to be trained & sensitized better to monitor the work of the employees under them in their department, to ensure accountability.

A single man and single idea can create a thousand ripples, so the intent ought to be right and with lasting impact.  If every man does his duty from top to bottom, no obstacle is insurmountable.  Gurgaon will be a happy place to live in, a city all other cities would like to emulate.

Col. Kr. Pratap Singh Chairman, JAFRA