Three Cheers!

  • Atul Sobti
  • India
  • Aug 22, 2014

 

 

We are happy to state that over the past 3 years (156+ weeks) we have not missed a single deadline – or an Issue. The newspaper, as planned - exclusively of, for and by the citizens of Gurgaon - has been produced and printed on time…week after week. Gurgaon did deserve its own Paper. We have covered Gurgaon 360, and in full colour. It is a family paper, with a special corner for Kids, and a special Global section. Despite being a weekly, you do not miss any Gurgaon news, as we provide a ‘Week That Was’ summary also. We are proud to have carried many stories before even the top dailies, and provided a wider and deeper coverage. Our focus has been on remaining credible and relevant, adding value and urging action. We have specially acknowledged and promoted good people and good deeds. The contributors have grown every month, as more people have read the Paper. We believe that over a lakh readers have
been exposed to Friday Gurgaon. Yes, we have had challenges – in circulation and advertising, and our online social presence has not been tops. 

A comment on Gurgaon: while the implementation of a real estate led 2031 ‘Master Plan’ is under way for the City, we continue to be challenged by the lack of basic civic services (of water, electricity and sewage). Will water be our Waterloo? Will we finally drown in our own muck? In fact, if the basics of water and power are not taken care of soon, we may see violent street protests next summer. Unfortunately, the Administration remains indifferent and insensitive, burdened itself by a slow approval process and poor authority limits. The frustration in this City is more because the deficiency in civic services and facilities is not due to any lack of funds, like for most places in India (in fact MCG has loaned Rs 150 crores to Faridabad - and it seems to be not coming back). But let’s cheer up a bit – we have the new Cyber Hub for fresh entertainment. Maybe it is also time to prepare for Gullywood or Gollywood, in Gurgaon – given the multitude of local ‘stars’.

As we enter our fourth year, it is important that we make Friday Gurgaon a more sustainable project. It is time to move our governance, ownership and operations to a broader platform. Friday Gurgaon was never meant to be a business, let alone a family legacy. A local Paper must be the asset of the City….of its citizens. It needed nurturing at birth and the tender early years – for remaining relevant and credible, and for maintaining quality. And we put our money where our mouth was, rather than relying on outside funding. Now, at the end of 3 years, we feel confident in moving wider and deeper, and making Friday Gurgaon an active instrument for facilitating the change that is needed in this City. To calibrate our way forward, this weekend we are conducting a Seminar, with many concerned citizens, social organisations and corporates, which will focus on how we all can together make Gurgaon a better place to live in, and how to harness its potential. Individually, NGOs, Activists, RWA Heads, Civil Society and Corporates are taking some good actions and initiatives in diverse areas. We would now work together on a few agreed areas, to ensure a wider, deeper and more lasting impact. Friday Gurgaon can be a strong and credible facilitator and catalyst between various civil society organisations, corporates and the Administration. We believe that it’s time for like and right-minded citizens and entities of Gurgaon to come together for the betterment of the City. The opportunities this City has to offer, and the promise it holds, make this worth the effort.


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