BJP in Haryana got immense support from Gurgaon district as well as the City. Gurgaonites therefore have great hopes from the new government, and hope that these would be fulfilled by the CM and his team, says Anurag Bakshi, a former IRS official and now a key member of the BJP. Bakshi is also the convener of the Party's economic cell, and believes that Gurgaon has a great chance to actually be transformed into a Millennium City. “We have seen how Gurgaon has ‘developed’ in the last two decades, and the pace has been phenomenal. However, the Administration has failed to keep pace, and the result is inadequate infrastructure and poor civic facilities,” says Bakshi. In his opinion, Gurgaon, which was once an orphaned town in the State of Haryana, grew because of factors that were beyond anyone’s control. The proximity of Gurgaon to Delhi, presence of an international airport nearby and lack of government interference in the early days, helped unleash an economic boom here. Bakshi also credits the large number of MNCs and IT and IT enabled companies, and the auto majors, which have fuelled the demand for offices, housing and land to a great extent. “The corporates as well as the IT and manufacturing sectors must be given credit for bringing Gurgaon on the international map,” he says. However, the arrival of such a large workforce also led to huge pressure on the civic facilities and infrastructure of the City. The problems were further complicated by an indifferent government and an apathetic bureaucracy, which did not see Gurgaon beyond a cash cow for the entire State. As a result much was left to private developers and private enterprise in general, who essentially catered to the well off – leaving the middle class and the under-privileged very vulnerable. For example, while Gurgaon has some excellent private schools and hospitals for those who can afford them, the government hospitals and schools are in a shambles. There are only 300 beds in govt. hospitals in Gurgaon for a population of 20 lakhs - which is an abysmal state of affairs. The government schools lack toilets, drinking water and many other basic facilities, leading to many residents avoiding them; ironically, most of these schools are located most centrally.
Bakshi says that the new BJP government has a well laid out plan for the entire State, including Gurgaon, and soon things will change for the better. “The officials who were non-responsive will be moved, and a fresh team is likely to come,” he says. The priority would be to get the City back on track and to set up a Gurgaon Development Authority (GDA) - which would oversee the development, maintenance and planning for the City in an inclusive manner. Decision-making would be faster and more local, and the stakeholders in the City should be able to easily approach the authorities. The government has promised to bring in good governance, improve safety and security, increase public transport, and provide effective basic education and healthcare. Bakshi would personally want the State to address the welfare of the common man on priority, as in the last two decades these people, many of whom have literally helped set up this City, have been almost forgotten. υ
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