The new government in Haryana should focus on improving the infrastructure in Gurgaon, and also ensure that rampant corruption and nepotism, which prevails across the State, should be brought to an end, says prominent Gurgaon-based businessman Sharad Goel – who is also an environmentalist and an RTI activist. Advocating the need for the govt. to reach out to business community, for revenue and job creation, Goel says that today they instead feel harassed and shortchanged. The previous government has paid for its misrule and for its preferring to take care of the interests of only the builders – at the cost of its citizens, particularly in Gurgaon, alleges Goel. He says that the first positive step to bring back the City on track would be the setting up of a Gurgaon Development Authority (GDA), which would bring all development, infrastructure and civic work under one head. "We need an overarching agency in Gurgaon, which works across the private, HUDA and other areas, to ensure that there is more effective planning and implementation of facilities and services. Today, one arm of the government does not know what the other is doing, and this has led to many basic deficiencies," he asserts. Secondly, the business community in Gurgaon wants the easing of rules for carrying out its business – especially the easing of red tape. Goel says that its time the ‘licence permit and inspector raj’ should be brought to an end. “The tax and labour regime is excessively complicated – even for an ‘experienced’ businessman. It is impossible to get land from the government, and even when one gets the land, it is difficult to get the bundle of clearances from the State. Once the officials come to know that someone has money to set up a unit, they behave like predators. This approach and behaviour has to end, if Haryana is to survive as an attractive industrial location,” warns Goel. He also wants the State to ensure uninterrupted water and power supply to all industrial units of Gurgaon (including the IT sector), so that they don’t have to spend crores on generating power and pumping water. This was clearly not part of their ‘investment’ plan. The BJP government can help end the institutionalised corruption in the State, as it does not have to depend on any ally. Going forward, there is need to ensure that those with poor ‘track records’ are not made ministers of important departments. Goel avers that Haryana is a great State, has the right location, and can provide a great environment for business, but the need of the hour is good governance. And the politicians have to set an example for the bureaucrats - otherwise what happened in the Congress government will be repeated.
Being an environmentalist, Goel has also launched an initiative of ‘Swachh Bharat Swasth Bharat’, by adding on the health impact of being clean and hygienic in our lives. Goel says that only if we are clean can we be healthy and live a very productive life. “Gurgaon is a very young city, and I want the people to embrace both cleanliness as well as healthy living, to ensure that this city becomes and remains productive and happy. This year he had focused on planting ‘peepal’ trees across the City, and also around the country among his friends. He says that at least 500 peepal trees must have been planted due to this effort. Goel has also launched a campaign to save the traditional ponds and ‘johads’ in the urban villages of Gurgaon, and has spent a huge amount of resources and efforts to convince the government and the masses about the importance of doing this. It was due to his persistence that the Gurgaon administration built a boundary around the large pond in Sukhrali, and has also pumped water into this pond. Goel says that the only way to boost the water table of the City is to safeguard the traditional ponds. He also says that in the waterlogged areas the government could build artificial ponds. "This will not only help boost the water table, but also end the problem of water logging in areas such as Hero Honda Chowk, and Sheetla Mata Road, where it causes a lot of problems", says Goel. He adds that despite obstacles being faced by him due to his activist ways, he is going to work Hard, with the support of the people, to ensure Gurgaon becomes a healthy place to live in, and to do business. If this does not happen in the next five-years, then, says Goel, a majority of the companies will find ways to reduce their footprint here, and the Millennium City will remain in name only. It would then only be a matter of time before even residents start fleeing this drying nest.
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