The Outsider: A tale of enduring misery
Gurugram's decline reflects a failure of citizens and administration, hindering its potential as a smart city. Accountability and action are urgently needed.
The story of Gurugram is not one that we need to be proud of as Indians. We need to be ashamed of what we – both citizens and the administration – have done to this city. Many believed that I went on a rant, but that was not the case. It was important to highlight the pitiable state of living in what was touted to be a smart city. What is the home to some of the finest companies in India, and to some of the most influential CEOs.
And I mention this because it is important that when you talk about Brand India – as an investment destination, and as a destination for living and tourism – we cannot have a Gurugram as an example.
It denigrates the absolute virtues that Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked on when he launched Swachh Bharat in 2014.
The problem is manifold. It is a problem mired in apathy, without empathy. It is a problem mired in administrative lethargy, without accountability.
And the real tragedy is the absence of politicians. I can perfectly understand when the bureaucracy doesn’t perform because they don’t have to be voted to power. But what baffles my mind is, that the same political party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is in power in Uttar Pradesh and in Madhya Pradesh and has sterling cities such as Lucknow and Indore, fails to fix Gurugram.
Citizens, too, are culpable. In the stealth of night, when construction debris is off-loaded by citizens, they too are performing, to my mind, an evil task – a task that can be well avoided. But the problem is we’ve begun to embark on a blame-game, and no one wishes to be responsible. The citizen throws their hands up, the administration blames citizens, politicians go eerily silent till the time comes for citizens to vote.
{{/usCountry}}Citizens, too, are culpable. In the stealth of night, when construction debris is off-loaded by citizens, they too are performing, to my mind, an evil task – a task that can be well avoided. But the problem is we’ve begun to embark on a blame-game, and no one wishes to be responsible. The citizen throws their hands up, the administration blames citizens, politicians go eerily silent till the time comes for citizens to vote.
{{/usCountry}}In all of this, what we are doing is creating a situation where no person can live a decent, dignified life.
{{/usCountry}}In all of this, what we are doing is creating a situation where no person can live a decent, dignified life.
{{/usCountry}}Many have talked about Golf Course Road being the “Millionaire’s Row”, which I think is petty and stupid. Because what we need to worry about is the fact that we have six hospitals in the area, and what happens if there’s an emergency? What happens if people need emergency medical care?
{{/usCountry}}Many have talked about Golf Course Road being the “Millionaire’s Row”, which I think is petty and stupid. Because what we need to worry about is the fact that we have six hospitals in the area, and what happens if there’s an emergency? What happens if people need emergency medical care?
{{/usCountry}}What happens to the daily wager who the politicians woo come election-time? What happens to children who need to go to school, but are instead forced to learn online? What happens to companies, be it in Atlanta or Chicago, that have to then tell their headquarters that people can’t come to work because Gurugram is flooded? How can we have a city which has rampant development without proper infrastructure?
And this rot has been festering for several years. It is not my intention to blame one political party or the other, but all of them are equally responsible, whether it is the Congress or the BJP in Haryana, or it is the Aam Aadmi Party that ruled Delhi.
And we have created a situation where no one wants to live in this kind of mess, with this kind of apathy. So, the solutions are as follows.
A. We need greater accountability from both politicians and bureaucrats.
B: We need demonstrable punishment for violations, whether by officials or citizens.
C: We have seen examples of the administration working when it needs to. During the deluge last week, we saw how the Gurugram police managed affairs both with diligence and with alacrity. So, it’s not as if people are unwilling to work or don’t have the capacity to work, it is just their unwillingness to face the reality.
Being in denial is not a solution. The solution lies in eradicating the problems, and you will only eradicate the problems if you accept that there are problems.
You can’t have errant MLAs talking rubbish, saying that, “Oh, one rain creates this kind of havoc.” Then prepare for it. Monsoons are annual, not surprises. It’s not that debris can’t be removed; it’s not that garbage can’t be removed. The only obstacle is our unwillingness — and that is what condemns Gurugram to despair and misery.
(Suhel Seth is a businessman and columnist and a resident of DLF’s Magnolias. The view expressed are personal)
