Haryana grants 1,000 cr for Gurgaon’s progress

GURGAON: The Haryana government on Saturday approved a Rs 1,000-crore aid to its cash-strapped urban development body Huda to improve Gurgaon’s infrastructure and

GURGAON: The Haryana government on Saturday approved a Rs 1,000-crore aid to its cash-strapped urban development body Huda to improve Gurgaon’s infrastructure and reboot stalled projects.

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The move is expected to solve the problem of the overflowing Badshahpur drain that flooded Gurgaon Expressway’s Hero Honda Chowk, resulting in Thursday-Friday’s monster jam.

The state government also decided to give more powers to Gurgaon-based bureaucrats so that they won’ t have to turn to state capital Chandigarh for approval of developmental projects.

The state government is considering the formation of a unified development authority dedicated for Gurgaon, sources told HT, requesting anonymity.

“The entire money…will be used for Gurgaon only. Now, HUDA can start acquisition of land required for diverting the existing alignment of the Badshahpur drain from Khandsa village, the epicentre of the entire problem, to the alternative site,” additional chief secretary (ACS), town and country planning, P Raghavendra Rao told HT.

If need be, more resources such as loans, sale of land and others to finance developmental projects could be explored, Rao added.

A long list of stalled projects due to shortage of funds includes land acquisition to lay roads in Sector 58-115, construct the Central Peripheral Road (CPR) connecting Northern Peripheral Road with NH-8, master drainage network in Sector 75-115 and compensation to farmers for their land acquired previously for Sectors 58-115.

Former Huda administrator who served in Gurgoan SP Gupta said encroachments narrowed the Badshahpur drain dangerously. “…the encroachers enjoyed heavy political clout,” he said.