News: GMDA failed at upkeep work, will take over roads, cameras and green belts, says MCG-01-08-2021
Gurgaon: Raising questions over the ability of the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), the MCG House on Saturday passed a resolution to reclaim the maintenance of certain civic amenities — such as roads, green belts and CCTV cameras — that were transferred to the authority in 2018.
While the civic body takes care of all arterial roads, colony roads and internal drains in Gurgaon, the development authority is in charge of all master roads, green belts, CCTV cameras and master drains.
At the House meeting, MCG councillors accused the GMDA of failing to carry out proper upkeep work in the city and claimed that several development projects have been lying incomplete. They also demanded that the GMDA involve the MCG and the councillors in the decision-making process while planning new projects.
Mayor Madhu Azad said she would soon write a letter to the government to take away the maintenance work from the GMDA. “A proposal was passed by the House to withdraw certain services, such as the maintenance of main roads and green belts, and installation of CCTV cameras at various wards, from the GMDA.”
GMDA CEO Sudhir Rajpal, however, refused to comment on the development.
Ward 25 councillor Subhash Singh said, “There is a serious lack of coordination between both the agencies because of which issues concerning residents are not being resolved in a timely manner. For instance, the service road is with the MCG, while the green belt is being maintained by the GMDA and this hampers the development work of the area.”
At the marathon House meeting that lasted for around eight hours, all the councillors unanimously questioned the one-time payment of Rs 500 crore to the GMDA for infrastructure work.
“If the civic body is the one which has to foot the bill for development work from its coffers, then what is the need for the GMDA to carry out the work and get undue credit. The MCG is capable of undertaking such work,” said Kuldeep Yadav, ward 29 councillor.
GMDA sources, however, said the resolution was passed due to political reasons. “MCG elections are due next year, and these councillors are all out to get credit. While we do not have any problem in including them in decision making, involving them will only delay the process and the implementation of work on the ground,” said an official.
At the House meeting, a proposal was also passed to regulate the felling of trees in the MCG areas. The councillors also unanimously passed a proposal to rename any one road in DLF Phase-1 in memory of late councillor RS Rathee, who passed away in May this year.
