So you think I am dumb??. Review on Gurgaon

Eh.. so you are a person of self esteem, need people with at least bare minimum etiquettes around you, when paying prices highest possible (relatively) expect proper supply and quality, need motorable roads between high-rises and public transport when in need? Gurgaon is not for you.

Period. Review over.

You want details and facts before you give your buy in for the statement I made above. You want to know more.. read on.

Delhi, with no more commercial space left for multinationals and manufacturing units, had to give way to the areas near by. Noida and Gurgaon were the obvious choice. Though the debate is still on as to which place is better, majority of the people prefer Gurgaon. Political image of UP has a lot to do with it. However, many miles are yet to be covered before one could cast a verdict.

Coming back to Gurgaon, it has seen a tremendous growth in last 10 years. Many multinationals set up their base here along with a variety of smaller companies of all nature. Some feeding units for big companies like MUL and Honda, export houses, small productions houses etc. However, it grabbed attention when IT companies and BPO’s came up with some of the largest setup’s in the country.

With this came the great trend of one-apartment-a-month and one mall a quarter. Rentals sky rocketed, land became untouchable for even very-well-to-do sorts. Those who benefited the most were locals who were till now happy watching some glitzy looking glass buildings from far while grazing their herds in fields. When big builders contacted them for land they were happy to sell them off at a premium keeping a 10X10 space which they will later use to run their “Property Dealing” business. Now there are places in Gurgaon where you will not see even a grocery shop for a stretch of 3 kilometers but property dealers every 100 meters.

Unsure of what to do with big mullahs they got, they invested in big cars which their young ones can use to haunt people on roads. While everybody, from government to entrepreneurs to builders were busy making money by coming up with finest pieces of architecture to accommodate professionals of multinationals both in offices and at home. No one bothered what will happen to non existing infrastructure of this poor town. 5 years into it’s glory, town is already leaking, stinking, cracking and getting narrower.

Law and Order

What is that, nobody wears even a seat belt here. A few traffic lights have come up but who cares? People to Police ratio is amongst the lowest in the country. In any case they are of little help (may be unfair complaining this). Can you beat murders and robberies even in the well-guarded apartments? That to in the broad daylight.

Once when I was on my way to work a policeman came right in the middle of the road to stop me, I thought it was some routine checking so I stopped my car. Eventually that guy wanted me to drop him off at Udyog Vihar, aggravated with the way he approached, I denied. It’s the intervention from some top admin guys from my company which saved me from spending a couple of hours in Police Station, a threat which was for real when I complained to this policeman’s seniors. If you want me to compare I would say despite all that we know Delhi Police is like angels infront of these high headed jats in Haryana Police (no offences meant to any community). A doctor lost his life for objecting to to rash driving of some local youths in a Scorpio ( the lot I talked about earlier) and they hit and dragged him with their Scorpio. What did the Police do, did not even initially lodged the complaint. The culprit is still at large.

Public Transport

None what so ever if you are staying in newer areas like Sector 56, Malibu town etc. The only mode of transport within city is cycle rickshaw, now I leave it to your discretion to decide its usefulness. A good thousand bucks have added to my each trip to home town as a private taxi is the only option I have to commute to Rly Station/Airport. I have very recently seen some small buses plying on a certain route, it is foolish to call them buses as they are being driven by a breed which got graduated to flying airplanes right after bullock-carting. So they will sit in the middle of the road, not move at all and when on the move they actually fly.

Lack of public transport to/from Gurgaon made 26 innocent people lost their lives, have you followed the news of maxi cab killers a month ago where they used to kill people for as little as Rs. 20? Oh yes, local MLA, after this incident,said “There is no problem with transportation in Gurgaon, thousands of call center cabs are there for everybody to use” Can you beat it?

Daily chores

Everything is costlier in Gurgaon when compared to Delhi and worse you still don’t get what you want most of the time. If the shopkeepers in your vicinity (not many in any case) failed to strike a good deal with Harvest Gold bread vendor you will not get it come what may. It takes good 15 to 20 days for LPG vendor to send cylinder. You may not want to call them to enquire about the status, you are happy waiting and eating microwaved food rather than spoiling your full day as a result of 2 minute conversation you had with the person who picked up the phone. When it comes to services like LPG, Electricity etc. you get a feel as if you are living in a orphanage and whatever you are getting is on the mercy, you do not deserve this.

Overall

Classy offices and swanky malls may look good initially to many who have moved from smaller towns after completing their studies (someone like me). Once that phase of aura is over you look beyond, you look at the overall quality of life. You look at the infrastructure extended to you, basic amenities and facilities a city has to offer and when you see an absolute zilch, it pains. Insult get added to it when you look at the final amount of income tax you paid in a year. You see useless parks without any upkeep in the name of chief minister, then you hear announcement of free tractors and subsidized electricity all funded by the money you paid directly and indirectly.

You might ask why on the earth than I am staying in this so called millennium city? Bearing all for the work on NH 8 to get over. Can’t afford to drive 2 hours up and 2 hours down each day from Delhi.

PS – since I am posting this article under tourist attractions, let me throw in some information. Just in case. Gurgaon is easily accessible from Delhi by road( yes it does not have an airport, a railway station where no major train comes/stops). Has some good hotels to stay Trident Hilton for cream-a-la-cream, Bristol and Park Plaza for cream and then some around old Gurgaon and DLF II ( these are guest houses) for people like me. Absolutely no historic or tourist attractions 9 in my knowledge). Unless of course you qualify a Mall as a tourist attraction ( I have seen people clicking photographs in there).

PPS - My LPG cylinder is not yet delivered, running into 12th say since booking. I am in a very bad mood today which I think is normal after 10 days of microwave/hotel food. Even my 9 month old son has refused to take milk boiled in microwave oven :(