‘Biggest challenge in solving civic issues is mismanagement’

Yash Varmani highlights Gurugram's infrastructure decline, citing poor public transport and mismanagement, but remains hopeful for future improvements.

Yash Varmani was struck by Gurugram’s growing infrastructure when he relocated to the city from New Delhi in 2024. However, he soon discovered that the city brimming with promise was seemingly caught in a state of gradual decline.

Yash Varmani

The 32-year-old lawyer, who resides along the Dwarka Expressway, said the biggest cultural shock in Gurugram was the inadequate public transport system.

Varmani said he sees this as a major gap in a rapidly developing city that draws thousands of commuters from across Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). He highlighted that lack of direct connectivity to key city hubs, especially Dwarka Expressway, remains isolated, with no public bus services operating along the stretch.

“The city has a lot to offer, but it appears stuck,” he said.

Varmani practises in district and high courts, and says his work has given him a closer view of the city’s deeper fault lines.

“Be it sanitation, poor road infrastructure or lack of public transport, the problem with civic authorities is their failure to offer practical solutions. Moreover, their work and policies reflect a lack of planning and long-term vision,” he claimed.

He added that the biggest challenge for the civic authorities is not resources or funds, but mismanagement and weak law enforcement.

According to him, the newly-developed Dwarka Expressway could have been planned far better. “Everything on the expressway is brand new, yet look at its condition. From broken or missing roads to the absence of parks, weak green belts and no public transport, an area that promised so much still falls short on several basic fronts.” he said.

However, despite these challenges, Varmani remains cautiously optimistic about the city’s future, stressing that hope is essential for any rapidly evolving urban centre.

“Gurugram should take cues on greenery and plantations from parts of the Capital. The trees felled during civic projects must be compensated for through planned replantation efforts,” he said.

He also claimed that the city’s green belts are “largely neglected, crying for attention and in urgent need of maintenance by the authorities.”

However, Varmani also believes that Gurugram’s residents are its greatest strength, with many willing to step forward and push for meaningful change.

With stronger governance and active citizen engagement, he believes Gurugram can still turn its challenges into an opportunity for more balanced and sustainable development.

(Yash Varmani is a legal professional who lives along the Dwarka Expressway)