If Faridabad can do it, why can’t we, ask residents of ‘old’ Gurgaon, who want to be able to run and maintain their colonies’ Community Centres themselves. With poor maintenance, even a complete lack of cleanliness, plaguing the Community Centres built by HUDA, residents are now demanding that these Centres should be handed over to the respective RWAs, as has happened in Sector 15A of Faridabad. The residents allege that, despite repeated petitions to the Estate Manager, HIUDA, to get things managed in a proper manner, nothing has happened. Meenu Singh, President of Sector 3, 5, 6 RWA, says that residents across ‘old’ Gurgaon are facing severe inconvenience because of the poor upkeep of Community Centres - which are heavily booked for marriages and other functions, but seldom get cleaned. Residents allege that while a staff of five HUDA employees is supposed to manage each Centre, only chowkidars are present. Rakesh Yadav, a resident of Sector 23, says that during the situation becomes pathetic during the wedding season.
Ravi Kumar, a resident of Sector 5, says that it took nine years for HUDA to get their Centre whitewashed; and despite that, the poor maintenance will ensure that it will soon turn into a garbage dump.
Despite repeated pleas, the HUDA officials neither mend the situation nor allow the RWAs to take up the sanitation work, allege the RWA members. “We have asked the officials to give us the Rs 1000 per booking charged by the Department for cleaning the building after every function – which they refuse. How can an RWA do this job without funds?” says Singh. Meenu Singh says that the situation was so bad that there had been no power at night in the Centre for the past couple of years. “It is due to our efforts that a power meter has been installed, but the apathy of the government officials continues,” she alleges. Citing the documents that mention the transfer of the Community Centre to residents (in Faridabad), Meenu Singh says that if HUDA has allowed residents there to maintain their Community Centres, then what is the problem in the Millennium City? The residents also recall that promises were made by the former HUDA Administrator, to convert the Community Centres in Sectors 23 and 6 into clubs that could be used by residents - as there is no HUDA Club nearby. Meenu Singh says they had proposed that an additional floor be built, where residents could run a club. HUDA sector residents also say that most of the times the Community Centres are used for marriages by the residents of unauthorized colonies. There is heavy booking, as such a large population does not have access to basic amenities. Locals say that to reduce the pressure on the sectors, it is important for the government to construct Community Centres and other social amenities in such colonies, and even villages. The need for such a facility is particularly being felt in the disputed 900 meters area around the Ammunition Depot.
“The authorities must look into the problem of Community Centres in HUDA sectors, and collaborate with the RWAs, to turn these Centres into places where the local populace is able to spend quality time and organise activities that are sorely missing right now,” says Ravi Shankar Mehta, an RWA functionary. Mehta says that people in the City want more public places where they can interact, spend time and forge social relations - which are needed ingredients to build the character of a city. Residents regret that such expensive real estate (as Community Centres) is being wasted by the government agencies; if these Centres were well-maintained the locals could use them, instead of booking expensive clubs and restaurants. The space in these Community Centres could also be utilised for non-profit ventures, which could provide jobs to the weaker sections. Meenu Singh says that if the government feels disinterested or incapable of running any operation effectively, then it should at least allow the residents of Gurgaon to manage or maintain facilities that impact their civic and social life. The RWAs from ‘old’ Gurgaon have decided to join hands and approach the HUDA Administrator for the resolution of the Community Centres’ problem. The residents say that if a decision on the running and maintenance of Community Centres is not taken soon, they would rather lock these buildings, as they are not only a nuisance but also could soon be a health hazard. Meenu Singh asserts, “We are fed up of this ‘Garbage Centre’ in our midst and want urgent redemption.”
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