Suburb planning?

NIDHI SHARMA / TNN / Jun 28, 2004, 00:54 IST

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NCR: As they say in advertisements: There is a place for everyone here. Skyscrapers, swanky apartments, concept malls, amusement parks, clubs, kiddie stores, golf courses and the works.

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">NCR: As they say in advertisements: There is a place for everyone here. Skyscrapers, swanky apartments, concept malls, amusement parks, clubs, kiddie stores, golf courses and the works. The satellite townships have provided what you can easily liken to a Manhattan skyline. But just scratch the shiny surface a li''l and the dirty picture of an unorganised National Capital Region (NCR) emerges. All the gloss looks good only if you hold a kerchief to your nose and develop a blindspot for power crisis, water woes, traffic problems and learn to live with a constant sense of insecurity.It is what you can call the National Capital Mess. </div> </div><div class="section2"><div class="Normal"> NOIDA A mall, a multiplex, property prices hitting the roof, a number of planned projects, good connectivity with Delhi and a great transport system. Whatever you wish for, Noida has. Well almost. The reality of garbage disposal, increasing pollution and soaring crime rate are all beginning to haunt Noida. Garbage: Overflowing garbage bins with stray cattle eating out of them has increasingly become a common sight here. Surprisingly, however, the township has no exact figures on the garbage it generates every day. But the stink of the inefficiency of the disposal system is evident. The township has exhausted the site in Sector 62 where it had been dumping its garbage. Chairman and CEO of Noida Authority Deo Datta says: "We are trying to look for alternative sites. We will use a site in Sector 122 but we have to make access roads there." This is obviously a mess the administration did not see coming. Stray Cattle: Noida has a large rural population rubbing shoulders with the nouveau riche. Thus, dairy owners leaving their cattle on the wide roads to graze is not unusual. The authorities have not been able to curb the menace at all. Six months gone and Noida Authority has been able to round up only 120 stray cattle and for the past few months does not even have a van to catch them. Pollution: Unlike Delhi, Noida does not run on the environment-friendly CNG. With industries dotting the landscape, air pollution has been choking the township. According to the statistics of the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB), suspended particulate matter (SPM), which is responsible for respiratory disorders, has been increasing here. However, the administration has not thought about it seriously. "We take steps. UPPCB checks industries. We have some norms," declares Deo Datta without enunciating any plans to curb this. Identity crisis: Noida was pushed decades back by the Mulayam Singh governments decision of scrapping Gautam Buddh Nagar district. This led to an overnight bearish trend in the real estate market. While the decision has been reversed, there are prime projects that have been stalled because of politics. For instance, the entrance gates to Noida and a flyover project leading to the expressway are just acting as eye and road blockades in the township. </div> </div><div class="section3"><div class="Normal"> GURGAON Neighbour''s envy, owner''s pride. With its concept malls and secure apartment complexes, Gurgaon wooed Delhiites into buying property and settling here. It has been a picture perfect example of private-public partnership in housing. However, power crisis, water shortage, zero transport system, lack of landfill site and soaring crime graph have made the charm wear off gradually. Power woes: The township has been declared a "power cut free zone by Haryana government. For two successive summers, however, the residents have been sweating it out. The worst hit are Sectors 4 and 7 of DLF, Sushant Lok, South City and Palam Vihar. Traffic and transport: Undeveloped arterial roads and a jammed Mehrauli-Gurgaon road are adding to the travelling time of residents. Says Mannat Garkal: "Travelling in Gurgaon is very difficult. Every day there is some construction going on because of which there are traffic diversions. In the evening traffic is so bad that just to cover 4 kilometres sometimes we take 45 minutes." When it comes to public transport system, Gurgaon is the worst connected of all the NCR towns. Says Prabhat Ahuja: "If you don''t have your own car, you cannot survive in Gurgaon. There are no buses. You will have to stand for an hour to get something to Delhi. Even the intra-city transport system is not in place. Crime: Murders, thefts, chain snatchings and car-jacking cases have been rising steadily. Says Veni Lamba, a single woman: "I cannot dream of using an auto or a rickshaw here after 8 pm. Malls remain open late in the night and people are such easy targets. Concepts like community policing are absolutely alien here. Says Sunil Khosla of Shield Securities: "I live in an apartment complex so we do not face any security problems but there are certain areas in Gurgaon that are being developed. They are very prone to such crimes." </div> </div><div class="section4"><div class="Normal"> FARIDABAD Faridabad, the oldest industrial town in north India, was a harbinger on the path of development in NCR but is easily the gawky cousin with braces. Roads and connectivity: Despite being located on the important Delhi-Mathura National Highway, Faridabad has lost out because of traffic bottlenecks and bad arterial roads. Over the years, the town has failed to attract any large industry. Entrepreneurs have chosen Greater Noida or Noida over Faridabad because of the huge jams near Badarpur intersection and the worst road conditions in the interiors. Residents are fed up of spending hours stuck in traffic jams. "Most of us work in Delhi. The jams make commuting terrible and there are no traffic regulations," says Manju Goel, a resident of sector 37. "The construction of the flyover at Badarpur intersection will help immensely, but things do not seem to be moving on that front," she added. Pollution: A large number of residential colonies have come up but high pollution levels have prevented many people from settling here. The traffic jams are also major cause of air pollution along the 18-km stretch of Delhi Mathura road. </div> </div><div class="section5"><div class="Normal"> Ghaziabad Easy connectivity to the capital, peaceful environs and remarkably lower levels of pollution, are some of reasons why people are game for a house in Ghaziabad. The cost of real estate as compared to Delhi also proves alluring. While spacious houses, huge open spaces, plentiful greenery and peacefulness from the madding crowd of the capital turn out to be great crowd pullers, residents have to grapple with whole lot of glitches. Power Woes: "We are leading a backward life here in these suburban colonies. The power situation is deplorable with marathon loadshedding. There''s no dearth of water but it''s not potable so we end up buying water. Telephone lines remain dead for ages. Garbage heaps and encroachments are a common sight," moans Nikhil Ahuja of Vasundhara. Crime: The satellite town is known for its ever soaring crime chart. Criminals often take refuge here after committing the deed in the capital. All this points to just one direction. Planning. Townships have to be better planned. Authorities need to think about issues and look at population figures and projected demands before they start throwing an eclectic mixture of industries, pubs, educational institutions and a growing population. </div> </div>

About the Author

Nidhi Sharma

Nidhi covers politics and policy. Is a trusted byline in governance, healthcare, urban infrastructure, Right to Information, social justice and empowerment, tribal affairs.

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