Gurgaon: New Delhi's swanky cousin

Gurgaon has been an integral part of the fascinating story of the Capital in the past decade. Sanjeev K Ahuja reports.

Gurgaon has been an integral part of the fascinating story of the Capital in the past decade. It earned the sobriquet of "Millennium City" for being home to over a hundred Fortune 500 companies, swanky malls and other entertainment avenues, BPO companies, world-class golf courses, hi-end restaurants, classy five-star hotels, healthcare facilities and state-of-the-art residential hi-rise structures.

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Despite all its infrastructure-related issues, the city is also home and working turf for a large number of corporate honchos. Gurgaon happens to be the first city of the country to have a 100% privately funded Metro train service and is soon to have pod taxis.

The Haryana government is also looking for a space for setting up a heliport to accommodate people with their private choppers. Even real estate developers have started making provisions for helipads atop their hi-rise residential and and commercial towers.

Says Sanjiv Puri, a businessman who runs an Italian food outlet in DLF City (Phase 3) called Italiano, "Gurgaon has a large number of people with a taste for world cuisines. They look for authentically cooked world cuisines. The place is already bustling with people of diverse nationalities." The city also boasts of a number of hotels run by the world's most prestigious hospitality chains such as Oberoi's, Radisson, Best Western, Holiday Inn, Marriott and Westin.

A recent ASSOCHAM survey revealed that Gurgaon, a hub of information technology, automobile and apparel exports companies, drives Haryana's economic development. Gurgaon alone accounted for nearly 71% of Haryana's total exports (Rs 30,608 crore of the total of Rs 43,031 crore) in 2009-10.

Kingdom of Dreams, opened last year, is one-of-a-kind entertainment destination in the country. Besides, the city boasts of a number of malls and multiplexes. Next in line is Appu Ghar in a new format and other world-class amusements parks.

A recent secret visit to by Walt Disney's president and CEO Robert A. Iger to Gurgaon recently has spurred speculations that he is looking for a joint venture here to open Disneyland in the city.