Outsider: ‘Gurugram grew, but at what cost?’

Kavita Bansal moved to Gurugram with aspirations in 2012, when the city was on the cusp of becoming a model urban centre

Kavita Bansal moved to Gurugram with aspirations in 2012, when the city was on the cusp of becoming a model urban centre. More than a decade later, she says Gurugram’s focus on becoming a major commercial and residential hub has come at the cost of its natural environment, with green cover increasingly overlooked in the race to build.

Kavita Bansal

The 47-year-old homemaker said she believed the city would offer great opportunities for her children. But within three to four years, she realised that “it was the beginning of Gurugram turning into a civic mess.”

She says, “To me, Gurugram feels like a city built for cars and two-wheelers, not for people who want to walk or cycle.”

Bansal says that Gurugram, where construction activities continue year-round, has increasingly become synonymous with rising dust levels and the illegal dumping of construction and demolition (C&D) waste.

“The roads are filled with dust. Even if you walk along a premium stretch surrounded by high-rises, you still have to cover your face. The Golf Course Extension Road (GCER) and the Southern Peripheral Road (SPR) are in the worst condition at present,” she said.

“Pedestrians are navigating stretches without adequate footpaths, crossing busy roads with limited safe crossing points, or sharing already congested spaces with fast-moving traffic. Cyclists, too, face challenges in finding dedicated and continuous cycling infrastructure.

Bansal believes sustainable development is particularly important for a rapidly expanding city like Gurugram, where construction and urbanisation have transformed the landscape over the past decade.

“The city forgot to conserve its green cover in the race to build, construct and transform itself into a modern city,” she said.

“The city has seen deterioration in systemic waste management infrastructure and processes too. There are increased incidences and reporting by citizens on open waste burning and waste dumping,” she added.

While Bansal believes more residents are now coming forward to voice their concerns, she says these voices are important in holding authorities and civic agencies accountable.

Residents and members of resident welfare associations (RWAs) raising issues on social media platforms and community groups, Bansal says, can help build public pressure and push for greater attention to civic and environmental concerns.

“There is definitely hope that things will change. Gurugram has the potential to become a model urban centre — the very promise that attracted so many people to the city in the first place,” she said.

(Kavita Bansal resides in La Lagune, Sector 54. She is a home maker and is vocal on issues like waste management and air pollution)