News: Home truths tall buildings can’t hide-23-03-2021
Home truths tall buildings can’t hide
The sky-kissing buildings of the new sectors give the impression that the developers were inspired by Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier’s concept of “towers in the park” — a mode of construction popular in North America in the 1970s.
But the idea of creating a country within a city, which is what Corbusier’s concept encompasses, seems to have failed here because the developers are yet to build a “city” before accommodating a “country” in it.
In simple terms, land in these sectors — 103-115 — had been handed out to developers even before basic infrastructures like approach roads and drains were in place.
So, as a row of highrises started coming up and people began living in them, the basic civic amenities remained an area of neglect.
Now that these sectors are being taken over by the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG), residents hope their problems will now be addressed.
“Among various issues, the one that needs immediate attention is waterlogging just outside the main gate of our society. This is actually sewage water because there is no proper drainage system in this area. We have been chasing the authorities and have submitted several complaints with the government agencies. We have even complained at the CM window. But jurisdiction has been a problem. The government agencies keep on passing the buck,” said Atul Nagpal, a resident of Sector 107.
For those living in Sector 104, waterlogging has made commuting a harrowing experience.
“The Dhanwapur road is forever under ankle-deep water. The water comes from either the overflowing sewers or after a brief spell of rain. There are 2-3 housing societies along this road. This issue needs to be addressed at the earliest,” said Ankur Singhal, a resident of Sector 104.
Apart from waterlogging, the lack of a proper 24-metre approach road is another problem. Residents are forced to use narrow dirt tracks to commute.
“We don’t have a 24-metre road to connect our society with the main street. The only option left for residents is to use a narrow dirt track. When you make a township, you should at least have proper roads leading towards it. Accessibility should never be a problem, especially when you are a part of an NCR city,” said Bajrang Jain, who lives in Sector 104.
In places that do have proper metalled roads, there are no streetlights. While some stretches don’t have lights at all, there are a few that have lamps but are defunct.
“It is extremely unsafe to travel back home at night because there are either no streetlights and the ones that are don’t work. The problem is more in sectors 107 and 109. The stretch between Dharampur village and M3M Woodshire is dangerous, especially during winters. There are no lights, plus there is fog. The 10-minute drive becomes a nightmare while returning from office,” said Swati, a resident of Sector 107. Sectors in IMT Manesar have lamps, but they need to be replaced with LEDs.
The demand for installing LEDs in the IMT Manesar area had been made last on February 13 before chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar.
The chief minister had then announced a package of Rs 14.8 crore for installing LEDs. Residents have also been demanding public transport.
These condominiums and housing societies are surrounded by vacant plots, which are often used to dump garbage. The result is that there is a stink everywhere.
